Niagara Clifton Bridge

43.088531 - 79.069816Koordinaten: 43 ° 5 ' 18.7 "N, 79 ° 4' 11.3 " W

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Niagara River

Called The Falls View Suspension Bridge, also Upper Suspension Bridge or Niagara Clifton Bridge, was a road bridge between Canada and the United States. The suspension bridge led across the gorge of the Niagara River north of Niagara Falls and about 170 meters south of the present-day Rainbow Bridge. She joined the American city of Niagara Falls, New York and the Canadian city of Clifton, of Falls in the province of Ontario from 1903 was part of the newly formed Canadian city of Niagara.

Your name Upper Suspension Bridge distinguished them from the twelve years previously built and about 2.6 km downstream of Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.

First Falls View Suspension Bridge

The first Falls View Suspension Bridge was built by the American Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company and the Canadian Clifton Suspension Bridge Company designed by the Canadian engineer Samuel Keefer. In the winter of 1867-68 the first rope over the frozen river was drawn with the aid of further work could be carried out after the frost period. The bridge was completed on December 29, 1868 and officially opened on January 2, 1869.

The suspension bridge had a span of 386 m ( 1268 ft). Your bridge wooden deck planks was originally only 3 meters wide so carts could always cross the river in one direction only. The support cables were worn by 30 m high pylons, each consisting of two wooden scaffolding piers that were repeatedly connected by horizontal and diagonal cross bar. Of the additional pylons stay cables were stretched to the track support to prevent vibration, there was also bracing the track support to the rocky shore.

In 1872, the pylons were covered and provided with doorways. On the Canadian side, a steam-operated Otis elevator was installed to a viewing platform. In 1884, the pylons were replaced by open iron support structures, as well as the wooden parts of the roadway Trägeres were replaced with iron girders. The financially successful lift was not installed again. Between 1887 and 1888, the bridge was completely overhauled, while the track support was widened to 5 m.

On the night of January 9, 1889, a violent storm moved the bridge in such strong vibrations that initially broke one of the stay cables. As the storm grew stronger, also increased the vibrations. After a few hours broke the bridge and plunged into the Niagara River.

Second Falls View Suspension Bridge

Immediately after the collapse of the first Falls View Suspension Bridge instructed the owners to rebuild. The mills were able to deliver the required parts due to the extant records of the old bridge and in day and night shifts within 70 days. The new building was erected in the short period from March 22 to May 7, 1889, so that he could be released only 117 days after the collapse of the first bridge to traffic.

In another storm in January of next year, the bridge was indeed damaged, but survived him ultimately intact.

In the following ten years, electricity networks were built and introduced the first electric railways, required the bridges with significantly higher load capacity. Another company built therefore in the immediate vicinity of the Upper Steel Arch Bridge ( Honeymoon Bridge ), which was opened in 1898. Then the second Falls View Suspension Bridge was dismantled, their parts were about 8 kilometers downstream used for the construction of the Lewiston- Queenston Suspension Bridge second.