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