International Bridge

Commuters make up the bulk of the roughly 180,000 vehicles a month that cross the International Bridge. The main truck cargo is paper-related, including logs.

The long, imposing International Bridge across the St. Mary's River to Canada was completed in 1962. Before that, crossing over to Sault, Ontario, and back required a carferry with limited vehicular capacity. The International Bridge connects two of North America's most important highways: the 5,000-mile Trans-Canada Highway heading east to Sudbury and west to Thunder Bay and Manitoba, and I-75, going 2,000 miles all the way to southern Florida.

Carl Gronquist, a principal in the firm of David Steinman, designed the International Bridge. Steinman had become extremely famous as the designer of the Mackinac Bridge. The International Bridge is 2.79 miles long including approaches and plazas and two cantilevered trusses over the ship canals on each side of the river. Designing it was an unusual challenge because, in addition to bridging the St. Mary's River, the bridge had to go over a railroad and two canals with locks open for over 10 months a year.

For the bridge's 50th anniversary in 2012, a contest chose the special lighting scheme. The winner was red and white lights on the Canadian arch; red, white, and blue on the American arches; and "50" in the center of each arch.
A number of sensitive international issues come together at the bridge, especially after 9/11, when waits at U.S. customs became longer and more unpredictable—quite To help bridge customers make better informed decisions, there's a WEBCAM showing WAITING TRAFFIC at both border crossings: saultbridge.com. Or call (906) 635-5255 or (705) 942-4345. About half the bridge employees are Canadian. Operations are overseen by the International Bridge Authority, an entity within the Michigan Department of Transportation. Its board is half American, half Canadian. "Bridging our past, connecting our future" is its motto. See michigan.gov/mdot, then "bridges" for more info, including history and bus schedules.

The International Bridge, planned and financed by the governments of Michigan and Ontario, is in both countries. It's owned by Ontario and the Michigan Department of Transportation, which maintains the bridge. It took nearly 25 years to put together the $16,000,000 financing for the International Bridge. Bonds were paid off in the year 2000. Today tolls and fees are the only funding sources for operating and maintaining the bridge.

Good places for BRIDGE VIEWS are Lake Superior State University, the Soo Locks (west side), West Pier Drive-In, and on the Ontario side the nature trial by the Sault Canal/Parks Canada and (especially at sunset) the terrace by the Algoma Art Center.

The bridge is 145' above ground level, with 124' clearance at low water. The speed limit is 30 mph. Traffic averages 1.9 million crossings a year: 1.79 million auto and 110,000 commercial truck crossings. The bridge is the only U.S.-Canadian bridge between Port Huron, 345 miles to the south, and the Ontario-Minnesota border, almost 600 miles to the northwest. Crossings fell off considerably from the pre-911 high of 2,600,000 in 2000, so tolls had to be raised. In 2012, auto crossings are up to 2002 levels, but truck traffic is off because of the sluggish U.S. economy and strong Canadian dollar.

Once a year, on a Saturday near July 4 and Canada Day (formerly Dominion Day) on June 29, pedestrians can walk across the bridge. This INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE WALK celebrates international friendship. The 3+ mile walk starts at 10 a.m. at Lake Superior State University, north off Easterday on the hill overlooking the bridge. Busses bring Americans back over the bridge.

Canadians still boost the Michigan Soo's economy by crossing over buy much cheaper American gasoline, dairy products, and other food. Thursday is really busy because it's senior day at the Kewadin Casino. Often seen coming into the U.S.: trucks with rolled steel from Essar Steel Algoma and logging trucks with cheaper Canadian timber, where environmental restrictions are less stringent. Right next to the International Bridge is the black INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD BRIDGE, actually a series of bridges designed for a single set of tracks. Still used, it's been called "magnificent" and "monumental" on HistoricBridges.org, a Canadian/American site devoted to "promoting the preservation of our transportation heritage." See historicbridges.org/trussirail for photos and details, often too technical for lay people. (You can take the site's free crash course on historic truss bridges.)

Many varied smaller spans make up the bridge. Taken together, HistoricBridges.org says, they are "a bridge that is unrivaled in variety. . . and history."

Starting from the south, the vertical lift bridge portion of the railroad bridge (the newest section, from 1959) is near West Portage Avenue in Sault, Michigan. A smaller version bridges like the Houghton-Hancock Lift Bridge, it's known locally as the "elevator bridge" and is most used by the largest ships. It spans the canals for the Poe and MacArthur locks. The central span is raised parallel to the deck to allow ships to pass.

Next, over the Davis and Sabin locks, comes the dramatic double bascule "seesaw" drawbridge (1913) with a moveable counterweight. This bridge is more likely to go up. Bridges are best seen from the West Pier apartments, a large complex at 600 E. Portage (that's under the International Bridge) across the street from the West Pier Drive-In.

The northern two sections were built in 1887 by Dominion Bridge of Lachine, Quebec. The camelback truss sections (2,151 feet altogether) are stationery, with an end in each country. Finally, the swing bridge moves for smaller boats on canals leading through the Canadian locks. It's next to the Canadian locks' park; see "Sault Canal" point of interest in Sault, Ontario.

Terminus of I-75. $3.00/auto ($3.20 Canadian), . Bicycles can cross any time, in a regular traffic lane. Passports are required to re-enter the U.S.

Return to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

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