ezbordercrossing

Guide to Crossing the US Canada Border

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Rainbow Bridge – Now Reopened After Training Exercise

Rainbow Bridge Update: The bridge has now been reopened and traffic is flowing normally.

The Rainbow Bridge will be closed for several hours Tuesday morning September 17th, 2013 for an international emergency preparedness exercise.  During this exercise, traffic will be rerouted to the Peace Bridge, Queenston-Lewiston Bridge and the Whirlpool Bridge.  Keep in mind that the Whirlpool Bridge can only be used if ALL persons in the vehicle are NEXUS Card holders.

To make the exercise more realistic for emergency response personnel, the exact time for the exercise will not be release until just before the start.  As a result, motorists will need to be prepared to change their plans on short notice.  We will update this post if we get any more information on the exercise time.

On the date of the exercise the twitter feed shown below from the Niagara Regional Police Service is supposed to provide the start and completion of the exercise.  We are including the real-time feed but you should realize it will only provide information on the bridge closure during the exercise window.

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Expanded Buffalo NEXUS Hours

A new NEXUS lane has been added to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge for U.S. bound traffic as of December 17, 2012.   The NEXUS lane will be available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. The NEXUS lane entering Canada is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with expanded hours for special events.

NEXUS hours at the nearby Rainbow Bridge are Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 to 10 am on weekends and holidays. The hours at the NEXUS only Whirlpool Bridge remain seven days per week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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Avoid Rainbow Bridge on June 15th

Wallenda Event Will Snarl Traffic in Niagara Area

Unless you are planning to join the 120,000 people trying to watch Nik Wallenda tightrope walk across Horseshoe Falls on June 15, 2012, you will want to avoid the entire Rainbow bridge area on that day.  If you must cross the border on the 15th, ignore your GPS and head to either the Peace Bridge, Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, or Lewiston Queenston Bridge to avoid the worst traffic.  Try to travel early in the day as higher-than-normal traffic volumes are anticipated at the other bridges as well.

Although the Rainbow Bridge will remain open during the walk, all highways and surface streets in the area will be a mess.   Pedestrian foot-traffic will be allowed on the Rainbow Bridge but walkers will not be allowed to stop for extended periods of time.

At approximately 4 p.m., the Niagara Parkway will be closed to vehicular traffic from Clifton Hill and Niagara Parkways in the north to Niagara Parkway and Fraser Hill in the south. The Parkway could be closed earlier or later, depending on how quickly the crowds take shape.  Drivers can also expect congestion on U.S.  Interstate 190 between the South Grand Island Bridge toll barrier and Exit 23 (US Route 62 – Niagara Falls Boulevard), and on the Robert Moses Parkway from Interstate 190 to downtown Niagara Falls.

Many local streets around Queen Victoria Park will also be closed off.  Traffic should be very heavy throughout the entire day and well into the early morning of the 16th.

Blue, circular “Wallenda Wire Walk” route markers will go up along the QEW, Hwy 420 & city roads to point drivers to alternate routes and parking for the event.

To help handle the increased trafic, the Whirlpool Bridge NEXUS hours of operation will be extended to run from 7am on the 15th to 2am on the 16th.   Whirlpool Bridge is a NEXUS only border crossing so make sure everybody in the vehicle has a NEXUS card.

Be sure to should check ezbordercrossing.com for traffic conditions at the other three border crossings within the Buffalo/Niagara region and select the crossing that is least crowded.