A thousand birthday greetings for US-Canada Thousand Island Bridge

The Canada-US Thousand Island Bridge system celebrated its 80th birthday in August with presentations and an open house at its US headquarters. The 33.7km three-bridge system over the St Lawrence River took 16 months to build and was completed 10 weeks ahead of schedule. It runs from Collins Landing near Alexandria Bay in the US state of New York to the small town of Ivy Lea in the Canadian province of Ontario. The system connects US Interstate 81 and Canada’s Highway 401, a major motorway between Montre
August 21, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The Canada-US Thousand Island Bridge system celebrated its 80th birthday in August with presentations and an open house at its US headquarters.


The 33.7km three-bridge system over the St Lawrence River took 16 months to build and was completed 10 weeks ahead of schedule. It runs from Collins Landing near Alexandria Bay in the US state of New York to the small town of Ivy Lea in the Canadian province of Ontario. The system connects US Interstate 81 and Canada’s Highway 401, a major motorway between Montreal and Toronto, ending in Windsor on the Ontario border with the US state of Michigan.

The 1,370m crossing over the American channel of the river - from the US mainland to Wellesley Island - consists of a suspension bridge with a main span of around 245m and nearly 46m of clearance above the river.

The Canadian crossing includes the 183m continuous Warren Truss span connecting Hill Island to Constance Island, a steel arch of 106m spans from Constance Island to Georgina Island and a suspension bridge of 229m from Georgina Island to the Canadian mainland. The Canadian span from abutment to abutment is 1,015m and the suspension span provides 37m of river clearance.

The boundary at the International Rift boundary – the channel between Wellesley Island and Hill Island - is bridged by two parallel 27.4m rigid-frame arched spans of reinforced concrete with masonry facing. Originally there was only one bridge at boundary but due to increased traffic it was twinned in 1959.

Operation of the Thousand Islands Bridge system is shared under a joint agreement that created the US based Thousand Islands Bridge Authority which estimates that there are 2,000 vehicle-cross the annually. The system’s original consulting engineer was Robinson and Steinman of New York City that  continues to do so today but as 3220 Parsons Transportation, notes the authority.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cifa equipment is pressed into service for Venice’s Mose project
    November 26, 2015
    The Mose project is a vast intervention plan by Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to protect Venice from flooding. It also has presented Cifa and its partners a big challenge for pumping concrete over a long distance.
    Read More
  • Ecuador’s new bridge to be built in sections
    July 31, 2018
    Ecuador is working on plans for the new South Crossing Bridge (SCB) spanning the Guayas River, to improve transport connections for the port of Guayaquil. The plans call for the SCB to be constructed in three sections, with the project expected to cost US$1.04 billion. The schedule calls for the link to be completed in 2022, with work starting in the third quarter of 2018. The project is being handled under 40-year concession deal that encompasses the bridge and highway links.
    Read More
  • Chile’s key bridge project for Chacao Crossing
    September 27, 2017
    Chile’s landmark Chacao Bridge project could be ready for traffic by mid-2021, according to the Ministry of Public Works. The 2.76km suspension bridge will connect the Chilean mainland with Chiloe Island, replacing the current ferry service and helping to develop the local economy. The project is costing around US$700 million. The cranes that will be used to install the main sections of the bridge will arrive on site shortly. A new schedule for the project will be announced early in 2018.
    Read More
  • Bumpy road for Australian drivers
    June 27, 2018
    It’s a bumpy road for speeders around Curtin University in Perth, western Australia. The university has installed two Actibump systems along a road that traverses the campus. Each day around around 2,000 vehicles use the street which has a speed limit of 40kph. However, about 70% of the vehicles on the road are speeding, according to Graham Arndt, director of operations and maintenance at Curtin University. The Actibump affects only drivers who are above the speed limit, a limit which is set using the sys
    Read More

Highlighted Content