Thousand Islands Bridge

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name = Thousand Islands International Bridge

|image = Thousand Islands Bridge July 2015 001.jpg

|image_size = 300px

|caption = A view of the Canadian parts of the bridge system as ON-137 traverses the St Lawrence River across Constance Island and then Georgina Island to reach Ontario mainland. Picture taken looking north from 1000 Islands Tower.

|official_name = The Thousand Islands Bridge system

|carries = 2 lanes of {{jct|state=NY|I|81}} and {{jct|state=ON|ON|137}}

|crosses = Saint Lawrence River

|locale = Wellesley Island, New York, United States to Hill Island, Ontario, Canada

|maint = Thousand Islands Bridge Authority

|id =

|design = suspension, open-spandrel deck arch bridge & truss bridge{{cite web |url=http://www.tibridge.com/facts.htm |title=Thousand Islands International Bridge Facts |website=Tibridge.com |access-date=2008-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515071852/http://www.tibridge.com/facts.htm |archive-date=2008-05-15 }}

|mainspan = American suspension: {{convert|800|ft|m|abbr=on}}
Canadian suspension: {{convert|750|ft|m|abbr=on}}
Canadian truss: {{convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on}}

|length = Total: {{convert|8.5|mi|km|abbr=on}}

|width =

|height =

|load =

|clearance =

|below =U.S.: {{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}
Canada: {{convert|120|ft|m|abbr=on}}

|traffic =

|begin = {{start date and age|April 30, 1937}}

|complete =

|open = {{start date and age|August 18. 1938}}

|closed =

|toll = Varies $4.00–$26.00 (USD) or $5.00–$33.50 (CAD){{citation | title = Thousand Islands Bridge Authority Toll Rate Classification Schedule | date = 1 April 2018 | url = http://www.tibridge.com/wp/?page_id=12 | access-date = 21 July 2018}}

|coordinates = {{coord|44|20|50.71|N|75|59|0.6|W|display=inline,title|name=Thousand Islands Bridge}}

|lat =

|long =

}}

The Thousand Islands International Bridge ({{langx|fr|Pont des Mille-îles}}) is an American-maintained international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the Canada–US border in the middle of the Thousand Islands region. All bridges in the system carry two lanes of traffic, one in each direction, with pedestrian sidewalks.

Structure

The Thousand Islands International Bridge system is a series of five bridges{{cite web|url=http://www.tibridge.com/wp/?page_id=2 |title=Our History |publisher=Tibridge.com |access-date=2016-02-27}} spanning the St. Lawrence River. From south to north, they are:

American mainland to Wellesley Island (main span)
Wellesley Island to Hill Island (international crossing)
Hill Island to Constance Island
Constance Island to Georgina Island
Georgina Island to Canadian mainland

The system's southern end connects with Interstate 81 and the northern end with Highway 401 via Highway 137. There is also an interchange with the Thousand Islands Parkway on the Ontario side.

The actual international border bridge crossing is a set of two parallel {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=on}} bridges between Wellesley Island in the United States and Hill Island in Canada.

Administration

The bridge system is administered by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, a New York State public benefit corporation, whose seven board members (Four Americans and three Canadians) are appointed by the Jefferson County Board of Legislators.{{cite web|title=Authority Info|url=http://www.tibridge.com/wp/?page_id=16|website=Thousand Islands Bridge Authority|access-date=12 March 2017}} The Authority also maintains and administers Boldt Castle.

Tolls are paid only by cash, E-ZPass, or Commuter Discount Fare Trip Tags, which are prepaid for 72 trips (US$48.00). The Bridge Authority is a member of the multi-state E-ZPass consortium, and introduced electronic toll collection in June 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/thousand-islands-bridge-to-have-e-zpass-next-year--20180627|title = Bridge to accept EZPass}}{{cite web |title=E-ZPass comes to Thousand Islands Bridge |url=https://www.wwnytv.com/2019/06/27/e-zpass-comes-thousand-islands-bridge/ |website=WWNY 7News |publisher=WWNY-TV |access-date=2019-07-11 |date=2019-06-27}} No other ETC transponders are currently offered or accepted, although the Bridge Authority offers sales of transponders of Florida's SunPass for the convenience of Canadian travelers en route to Florida.{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/traffic/article27259843.html|title=Florida's SunPass electronic toll device soon to be accepted in more states|work=miamiherald|access-date=27 February 2016}}

Border crossing

The Thousand Islands Border Crossing connects the towns of Alexandria Bay, New York, and Ivy Lea, Ontario, at the Thousand Islands Bridge.

It is the westernmost of the three St. Lawrence River crossings, and is very busy, with up to two-hour waits in the summer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.clui.org/section/united-divide-a-linear-portrait-usacanada-border-3 |title=Chapter 4: The Watery Boundary |website=United Divide: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border |publisher=The Center for Land Use Interpretation |publication-date=Winter 2015}} The US border station at Alexandria Bay is sometimes called Thousand Islands. The Canada border station of Lansdowne is sometimes called Gananoque, for the nearby town where international ferry service is provided. These border stations are also responsible for inspecting vessel traffic between the countries. The US has seasonal vessel inspection stations on Heart Island and at Cape Vincent, New York, and Canada has seasonal vessel inspection stations at Rockport, Ontario, and Gananoque, Ontario. Both Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) travel to selected ports and marinas on request for inspections.

History

The entire Thousand Islands Bridge system took sixteen months to build, beginning with a ground-breaking on April 30, 1937.{{Cite news |date=1937-05-01 |title=Ground Is Broken On Site Of Bridge Over St. Lawrence |pages=1 |work=The Post-Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-star-ground-is-broken-on-site-o/136502067/ |access-date=2023-12-08}} Completed ten weeks ahead of schedule, the bridges opened on August 18, 1938, with the ribbon cut by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.{{Cite news |date=1938-08-19 |title=Two Nations Hail Peace Bond In New Bridge Rite |pages=1 |work=Democrat and Chronicle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-two-nations-hail/136525386/ |access-date=2023-12-09}} Its total cost was $3.05 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|3.05|1937|fmt=c|r=2}} million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).

Shortly after opening, the bridge displayed aerodynamic oscillation problems that were quickly corrected via structural upgrades.{{Cite book |title=In the Wake of Tacoma |isbn=0-7844-0542-5 |pages=59–60}}

In its first year of operation, over 118,000 vehicles crossed the bridge.{{Cite news |date=1939-07-10 |title=Bridges as Symbols |pages=6 |work=Star-Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-gazette-bridges-as-symbols/136525738/ |access-date=2023-12-09}} Today, annual crossings exceed 2,000,000 vehicles.{{Cite news |date=2019-12-06 |title=Upgrading 1000 Islands Bridge |language=en |work=Andre Construction |url=https://andre.construction/blogs/news/upgrading-1000-islands-bridge |access-date=2023-12-09}}

Gallery

File:DSCN4277 1000islandsbridge e.jpg|Toll plaza on the Thousand Islands Bridge

File:Thousand Islands Bridge from Ivy Lea 2.jpg|Thousand Island bridge view from Ivy Lea

File:Thousand Islands Bridge.jpg|Thousand Islands Bridge

File:大桥 - panoramio (4).jpg|Thousand Islands Bridge from river

File:Thousand Islands Bridge plaque.jpg|The international boundary plaque on the bridge

File:Thousand Islands Bridge July 2015 002.jpg|Portion of ON-137 on Hill Island

References

External links

[http://www.tibridge.com/ Thousand Islands Bridge Authority] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040328025237/http://www.tibridge.com/ |date=2004-03-28 }}
[http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week65.html Aerial photos of the Thousand Island Bridge System]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070517201639/http://www.1000islandsphotoart.com/Albums/tabid/55/AlbumId/37/Default.aspx Ian Coristine's Thousand Islands Canadian Span & Area Gallery]
[http://riverviewpictures.com/ Tim Kocher's Riverview Photography of Ships Navigating Under the American Span & Gallery]
[http://archives.cbc.ca/clip.asp?IDClip=7050&IDCat=288&IDCatPa=254 CBC Digital Archives: Recording of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's address at the opening of the Thousand Islands Bridge]

{{Crossings navbox

|structure = Bridges

|place = St. Lawrence River

|bridge = Thousand Islands Bridge

|bridge signs = 20px 25px

|upstream = Lake Ontario

|upstream signs =

|downstream = Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge

|downstream signs = 25px 20px

}}

Category:Bridges completed in 1937

Category:Bridges on the Interstate Highway System