Feds kick in over $13M for U.S./Canada border replacement bridge project
August 25, 2017
By
CCE
The Rainy River-Baudette International Bridge that crosses the at Rainy River, Ontario and Baudette, Minnesota.
(source: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency/Government of Canada)
The federal government will be contributing over $13 million for a joint Canada–USA project to replace the Rainy River-Baudette International Bridge that crosses the border on on Highway 11 in Rainy River, Ontario, and on the Minnesota Trunk Highway 72 in Baudette, Minnesota. The Government of Ontario is responsible for all remaining costs for the Canadian portion of the investment.
The bridge, located approximately 90 km west of Fort Frances, Ontario, is jointly owned by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The project involves the design and construction of a new bridge and the removal of the existing bridge, which is at the end of its service life. A project description summary prepared by Stantec Consulting was released earlier this year.
According to the report, the new bridge will be located one metre south/upstream of the existing bridge, will be a steel I-girder structure, and will tie into the existing U.S. and Canadian Port of Entry facilities.
The recommended bridge plan is a five span structure, approximately 408 m long.
The new bridge will include widened lanes and shoulders, guide rails, a sidewalk, and an improved load capacity to accommodate higher volumes of commercial traffic.
