The International Bridge, aka the International Railway Bridge, as it appeared around 1900 from the Canadian side of the Niagara River.
The International bridge was constructed in 1873 under Canadian auspices, directed by Canadian civil engineer Colonel Casimir S. Gzowski. The intention was to connect the Grand Trunk Railway system of Canada to the American railway system and provide new markets for Canadian goods.
View from the Canadian side in 2005.
The bridge was an immediate success and was strengthened in 1901 in order to double its capacity.
In 1895, the community around the Canadian side of the bridge was named Bridgeburg, a designation still used locally.
The International Bridge as it appeared around 1900 from the U.S. side of the Niagara River, near Squaw Island.
The bridge spans 3,652 feet from border to border, and crosses Squaw Island before its terminus in Black Rock. It is still in use in 2005 as a railroad bridge.
2005 view of the International Bridge
The Detroit International Bridge Co., which owns and operates the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario, has been working to construct a privately-funded bridge that would follow the corridor of the International Bridge and create a bridge for commercial traffic between Black Rock and Bridgetown.
The Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group hopes to begin construction in 2008, if it can secure all the necessary permits and can have removed the Peace Bridge Authority's exclusive rights to any and all international vehicular crossings within 6 miles of the Peace Bridge.
As of 2015, this has not come to pass.
