TURNING OFF NIAGARA FALLS

Posted on 02/03/2016 | About Niagara Falls, Ontario

Two centurion pedestrian bridges in New York State are in disrepair and must be replaced. There is, however, an obstacle to that construction project - the Niagara River. The solution to reconstruction would mean that the American and Bridal Veil Falls will have to be diverted to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, a resolution that could take up to nine months.

The concrete arch bridges that span the river rapids and link the US mainland to Green Island and Green Island to Goat Island were built in 1901. The bridges have undergone a few renovations, and the last time the American Falls were shut down was in 1969. Mark Thomas, the western district director of New York state parks department organized a meeting Tuesday night with the state's transportation department. Thomas described the bridges as “ tired.” He said, “The steel inside is worn out, the concrete is worn out. These bridges absolutely must be replaced." The intent is not to do the work before 2019 but they want to discuss how the shutdown of the falls will impact the local tourism industry. "They are our stock in trade," said Thomas, "Our Canadian counterparts have the beautiful views of both the Horseshoe and the American Falls, and we don't have as good a view as they do. But what we have is we can get people right out onto the water, on these islands, over these low-slung bridges, and they get the feeling of the power and force of the Niagara River. It's very special." Wayne Thomson, a former councillor and mayor in Niagara Falls, Ontario is now the head of Niagara Falls Tourism and he has an opinion about the effect on tourism when the waterfalls are dry. "It probably is going to be a great boom for us in tourism because people like to see things that are unusual and they've never experienced before."