A new trucks-only toll bridge at the Canadian border took a step closer to reality this week
with the announcement that a bi-national business partnership will purchase the former Niagara River railway bridge between Niagara Falls, Ontario, and its counterpart in New York State.
"Looking ahead five years, we see the day when a dedicated three-lane roadway over the former railway bridge will expedite truck traffic and alleviate growing congestion at this key border crossing," said William Truesdale Jr., president of Whirlpool International Truck Bridge Inc. Along with a related Canadian company, WITB has agreed to purchase the bridge from the Canada Southern Railway Company.
WITB (U.S.A.) and Whirlpool International Truck Bridge (Canada) Inc. are owned by the same six investors, with diverse backgrounds in the construction, transportation, customs and immigration fields as well as cross-border brokerage and government relations.
The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge immediately to the north of the former CASO bridge is owned by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and is not involved in the sale. There is no commercial or corporate relationship between the two bridges or their owners.
"WITB was the only entity to formally express interest in buying the CASO bridge before truck border crossings became a high-profile issue in the post- September 11 environment," said Mr. Truesdale. "Our plan for some time has been - subject to government and regulatory approvals -- to develop a dedicated international toll bridge for the exclusive use of large commercial trucks."
The proposed $220 million redevelopment of the bridge and approaches is expected to take five years.
The steel-arch bridge was built for the Michigan Central Railway in the early 1920s and opened for traffic in 1925. In 2001, freight trains were re-routed away from the bridge to allow for more downtown development.