International Railway Bridge

The International Railway Bridge is a two-span swing bridge carrying the Stamford Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway across the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, and Buffalo, New York, United States. It was originally built in 1873 for the International Bridge Company by Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski and D.L. MacPherson.

The bridge consists of two sections, the first extending from the Canadian shore to Unity Island (formerly known as Squaw Island), and the second extending from Unity Island to the American mainland shore. The portion between these was originally built on a trestle, and was filled to form an embankment soon after the bridge opened. Once on the American mainland, rail traffic is received by the Black Rock Rail Yard. The former CN Rail Fort Erie Yard for interchange (shops and roundhouse) is closed.

The need for a bridge

Before bridges crossed the Upper Niagara River, it was crossed by several ferries running between Fort Erie and Buffalo. As well as being a serious bottleneck to both freight and passenger traffic, this crossing was often dangerous as the current in this area is swift, and ice is a problem several months of the year.

Proposals for a bridge surface by 1856, raising concerns about the effect to navigation rights on the river. By 1857, the Grand Trunk Railway had also proposed the crossing. The Dominion of Canada and the New York State Legislature drafted an agreement for construction of the bridge. Engineering surveys and fundraising took place over the next several years.

Construction of the bridge was recognized as a major technological challenge. The Niagara River in this area is up to deep and flows at up to . It is also located at the east end of Lake Erie, and during the spring, large blocks of ice often flow down the river, threatening to destroy any bridge placed in its path. There are also major financial challenges in a project such as this. Some years were required to overcome these obstacles. In the 1860s, the American Civil War, and rebuilding afterwards, consumed much of the resources of the United States and further delayed construction. A meeting of the Commissioners of the company took place on April 5, 1864, as planning did not stop altogether, even during the war.

On May 18, 1870, The American and Dominion International Bridge Companies met to merge into one corporation for the purpose of building this bridge. A contract for the construction of the bridge was concluded with C. S. Gzowski & Co. It was stated that the bridge should be completed by the end of 1871.

Construction

Prior to the construction of the eight stone piers, it was necessary to remove up to ten feet (three meters) of gravel from the bottom of the river. The piers were constructed from stone quarried at various locations on the Canadian side. Each pier was both pointed and sloped on the upstream side to most effectively break up ice flows. The iron for the bridge was manufactured at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Each of the 12 Pratt Truss spans was constructed on floating pontoons between the piers. Upon completion, the pontoons were filled with water to lower the bridge span precisely into place on the piers.

The bridge was constructed with two swing spans. One was located on the American side of the main channel of the river and provided a navigable opening of width. The second was located over the Black Rock Harbor

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