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

  • Final touches for Seattle’s SR520 floating bridge
    November 21, 2017
    Construction crews in the US state of Washington are finishing bicycle trails and pedestrian paths leading up to the award-winning SR 520 floating bridge. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge - officially now the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge - carries Washington State Route 520 across Lake Washington in Seattle. The 2.35km-long floating span is the longest floating bridge in the world and at 35m the world's widest. It opened in April last year as a replacement for the original 50-year-old four-lane
    Read More
  • Lindsay argues the case for reversible lanes over adding lanes
    June 26, 2018
    Build new lanes or use existing lanes more effectively? In a recent US study* commissioned by Lindsay Transportation Solutions, the company argues the case for reversible lanes. The level of future uncertainty in transportation planning - specifically in addressing congestion on urban freeways - has increased significantly over the past few years. The impact of connected and autonomous vehicles on traffic flow, of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) initiatives, particularly the car-sharing elements, and exciting
    Read More
  • Foundations for Mexico highway with help from Liebherr
    November 9, 2017
    A Liebherr rotary drill rig and oscillator combination has been working in Mexico on a highway project for contractor Mota-Engil. A Liebherr piling rig is playing an important role on a major Mexican highway construction project being carried out by a division of the Portuguese firm Mota-Engil. The use of the rig by Mota-Engil Mexico’s newly formed geotechnical division is helping to set new quality standards for piling in the country. The contractor is leasing one of the latest Liebherr LB 24-270 rotary
    Read More
  • High speed bridge demolition minimises disruption
    April 13, 2012
    A high speed bridge demolition project has been carried out successfully in Germany. Speed was of the essence as the bridge spanned an important road link and had to be removed in a tight time frame, minimising disruption to traffic.
    Read More

Highlighted Content