IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Vintage view of the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario.

The Peace Bridge forms one of the busiest border crossings between the US and Canada, if not the busiest (although I seem to recall hearing that the Detroit-Windsor crossing is busier). Opened in 1927, the Peace Bridge is still going strong, although in recent years there has been much controversy in the region over the Bridge's future. All sides concede that the Peace Bridge's three-lane capacity is insufficient for current needs and must be at least doubled to six lanes, but how to do this has been a real sticking point. Some people -- including me -- want a "signature" bridge, something bold and architecturally striking (see some possible designs here), preferably a cable-stayed concrete bridge that could be built mostly by local construction companies. Others, however, advocate a "twin span" approach, which is exactly that: erecting a nearly-identical neighbor to the Peace Bridge, likewise built mainly of steel (which would have to be brought from elsewhere, as Buffalo is a steel-town no longer).

While I do want a "signature" bridge -- although, quite frankly, people who think that we could build something as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge are being a tad unrealistic -- I do admit that the Peace Bridge as it stands is a fine-looking bridge, and if it is completely replaced, I would hope that it wouldn't be demolished. Suggestions along this line include making it a "trucks only" bridge, or converting it to railroad use. I like the latter idea, if it would mean enhancing Buffalo's status as a shipping city, which was supplanted years ago with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

This image, although vintage, comes pretty close to the way things look there today. The elevated portion of the bridge in the foreground is called the Parker Truss (it's on the American side of the bridge), and it spans a section of the Niagara river -- clearly visible in this image from the same collection -- that was dredged and deepened to allow for ship passage. The Parker Truss had to basically be shoehorned into the original bridge design to allow for minimal height clearance for ships. This, I believe (although I may be mistaken), isn't much of an issue anymore because the only boats that use that part of the river (the Black Rock Channel) are recreational craft and the rowing teams from the local colleges. (Always a cool thing, to see them out on the water.)

One thing I've noticed when crossing the Peace Bridge is that if there are people unfamiliar with the region in the car with you, they will ask where the Falls are. They think, "Niagara River, ergo, Niagara Falls." And they're right -- but the Falls are about twenty miles downstream. The Peace Bridge spans the Niagara River very close to its starting point as the outlet for Lake Erie.

(The site linked by the picture is an excellent compendium of Buffalo in the first half of the 20th century, when it was still a city on the rise.)