The Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge is a privately owned international
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...
connecting the towns of
Fort Frances
Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2016 census was 7,739. Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Cham ...
, Ontario, and
International Falls
International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census.
International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly acro ...
, Minnesota, across the
Rainy River.
The road and rail bridge was built in 1912 by the local paper company, and is still jointly owned by
Boise Inc. and
Resolute Forest Products
Resolute Forest Products (French: ''Produits forestiers Résolu''), formerly known as AbitibiBowater Inc., is a Canada-headquartered pulp and paper company. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Resolute was formed in 2007 by the merger of Bowater a ...
, formerly
Abitibi-Consolidated
Abitibi Consolidated Inc. was a Canadian pulp and paper company based in Montreal, Quebec. Abitibi-Consolidated was formed from the merger of Abitibi-Price Inc. and Stone Consolidated Corp. on May 29, 1997; the Company merged with Bowater in 2 ...
, which operated paper mills on the US and Canadian sides of the river, respectively, until the Fort Frances mill closed in 2014. A couplet for northbound vehicles was built in 1980.
The bridge toll is charged in US dollars on northbound traffic; only cash is accepted. The toll rates are $7 for cars and pickup trucks, $2 for motorcycles, $8 for campers, $16 for semi trucks and buses, $350 for trucks with oversized loads, and $4 for trailers. Discounted multi-trip swipe cards are available at the area grocery stores. There is no toll collected on southbound trips or for pedestrian traffic.
The bridge carries both road traffic and rail traffic of the
Minnesota, Dakota and Western Railway
Minnesota Dakota and Western Railway is a shortline railroad operating 4 miles of track between International Falls and Ranier, Minnesota as well as between International Falls and Fort Frances, Ontario via the Fort Frances – International ...
without grade separation. The rails run along the west side of the bridge, which also carries a pipeline between the paper mills. The east side of the bridge carries two lanes of automobile traffic, one in each direction. Trucks and buses are directed to drive on the rail portion of the bridge, which is capable of handling heavier loads.
A dam constructed in 1905 lies immediately west of the bridge. The reservoir to the east of the dam conceals the rapids for which International Falls was named.
The bridge is the northern terminus of
US Highway 71 (US 71) and
US 53. It connects with
Highway 11 and
Highway 71, part of the
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
, on the Ontario side.
International crossing
Customs checkpoints are located on both ends of the bridge for road traffic:
*
United States Customs and Border Protection
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...
- 2 Second Ave, International Falls;
*
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; french: Agence des services frontaliers du Canada, ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and cu ...
- 101 Church Street, Fort Frances.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Frances - International Falls International Bridge
Railway bridges in Ontario
Railroad bridges in Minnesota
Road-rail bridges in the United States
Canada–United States bridges
Transport in Fort Frances
Road bridges in Ontario
Buildings and structures in Koochiching County, Minnesota
Transportation in Koochiching County, Minnesota
U.S. Route 53
U.S. Route 71
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Road bridges in Minnesota
Toll bridges in Minnesota
Toll bridges in Canada
Buildings and structures in Rainy River District
International Falls, Minnesota
Plate girder bridges in the United States
Concrete bridges in the United States
Concrete bridges in Canada
Parker truss bridges in the United States
Parker truss bridges in Canada
Plate girder bridges
Bridges completed in 1912
1912 establishments in Minnesota
1912 establishments in Ontario