The Seaway International Bridge is an international crossing connecting the U.S. state of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
,
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; ; ) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St ...
Mohawk Territory, and the Canadian province of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. It consists of the South and North Channel Bridges that originally opened in 1958, and spans the
St. Lawrence Seaway. The North Channel Bridge, connecting the
City of Cornwall in Ontario to
Cornwall Island in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, was rebuilt and opened in 2014.
The bridge is among the busiest on the
Canada–United States border
The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...
in the state of New York, with about two million crossings a year.
It is jointly owned by the
Federal Bridge Corporation (a
Crown corporation
Crown corporation ()
is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government.
Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...
of the Canadian federal government) and the
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (an agency of the
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States a ...
), and is operated by the Seaway International Bridge Corporation, which came under the control of the Federal Bridge Corporation from the
Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority in 1998.
History
Previously known as the Cornwall-Massena International Bridge, the SIBC was a private bridge whose outstanding stock was purchased by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority (Canada) and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (U.S.) in 1957. It was incorporated in Canada five years later.
In 2000, the international border crossing that the Seaway International Bridge comprises was named the
Three Nations Crossing, in recognition that it connects the
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; ; ) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St ...
Mohawk Territory, a self-governing nation, to the United States and Canada.
On January 24, 2014, the opening of a new lower-level bridge marked the official closing of the former high-level North Channel crossing of the Seaway International Bridge. This project was estimated to cost $75 million, entirely funded by the Government of Canada. It was announced in 2010 that the Government of Canada would be going forward with this project that would involve the construction of a new low-level bridge as well as the demolition of the Seaway International Bridge to ensure the longevity of the border crossing, assuring that the former bridge was still in safe driving condition. The high-level Seaway International Bridge was completely demolished in 2015. At the opening ceremony of the new bridge, the first person to make the crossing was Raymonde Champagne, who had also been the first person to cross the high-level bridge in 1962.
Border crossing
The Three Nations Crossing is the
border crossing
Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
associated with the Seaway International Bridge. It was named in 2000, in honor of the
Mohawk of
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; ; ) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St ...
, a federally recognized tribe in the United States and First Nation in Canada. Their reserve extends across the international border, in addition to that between Quebec and Ontario. Most of the land is in New York, United States.
See also
*
List of crossings of the Saint Lawrence River
*
List of international bridges in North America
*
Cornwall Island (Ontario)
References
External links
*
Seaway International Bridge Corporation
{{Crossings navbox
, structure = Bridges
, place =
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...
, bridge = Three Nations Crossing
, bridge signs =
TO
, upstream =
Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge
, upstream signs =
, downstream = Rail Bridge
, downstream signs =
1958 establishments in New York (state)
1958 establishments in Ontario
2014 establishments in Ontario
Bridges completed in 1958
Bridges completed in 1962
Bridges completed in 2014
Bridges over the Saint Lawrence River
Canada–United States bridges
Road bridges in New York (state)
Road bridges in Ontario
Toll bridges in Canada
Toll bridges in New York (state)
Transport in Cornwall, Ontario
Truss bridges in Canada
Truss bridges in the United States