June 13, 2012…The Rainbow Bridge, the closest international crossing to Nik Wallenda’s tightrope walk across the Niagara River Gorge Friday, will be open to vehicular and pedestrian traffic as usual, but cannot be used as a viewing platform.

Pedestrians will not be able to use the bridge, one of three operated by the bi-national Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, as an observation deck. Increased security will move foot and motorized traffic across the bridge at their usual paces.

The commission is warning of heavy traffic and an exceptionally large turnout of people for the historic event Friday evening. Even though the actual tightrope walk is not until 10:20 p.m., people should cross well in advance to avoid backups.

“While we want to maintain ‘business as usual’ on the Rainbow, and all our bridges Friday night into early Saturday, we must make sure that people understand they cannot use the bridge as an observation platform. All traffic must keep moving across the bridge,” said NFBC General Manager Lew Holloway.

Engineers know the bridge’s load limits and while the structure can easily handle wall-to-wall people and cars, safety comes first and no overcrowding of the bridge will be permitted, he said, especially during the walk.

Pedestrians may technically walk halfway out onto the bridge and return to the same side they left, but authorities are discouraging that. And any pedestrians returning to either side after walking on the bridge will have to meet immigration requirements, even if they did not cross into another country.

All regular crossing rules apply in all cases. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a U.S. law, requires all travelers to the United States to present a valid passport or another approved secure document at the border. Acceptable forms of identification for both U.S. re-entry and entry into Canada that also meet the requirements of the WHTI include a passport, a NEXUS card, a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card and an enhanced driver’s license.

Because of the Wallenda event, higher-than-normal traffic volumes are also anticipated at the Lewiston/Queenston Bridge and the Peace Bridge. The NFBC’s NEXUS-only Whirlpool Bridge will be open in Niagara Falls until 2 a.m. Saturday to better serve cardholders.

The commission and other border-crossing agencies offer a host of information sources via the web, Twitter, toll-free phone lines and radio broadcasts. To help ensure smooth and rapid crossings of its three Niagara River bridges Friday and early Saturday NFBC officials also reminded motorists to take advantage of NEXUS, and choose non-peak travel times as often as possible.

The Rainbow Bridge will have 18 open car-inspection lanes into the U.S. and 15 into Canada. The Whirlpool Bridge is NEXUS-only from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. in both directions, which helps to move motorists across as fast as possible.

Travelers Tips:
• Call the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission’s toll free number at 1-800-715-6722 or call 511 for the latest traffic updates
• Tune to radio to 1610 AM.
• Visit any of the following websites: www.cbp.gov, www.cbsa.gc.ca, www.nittec.org, www.peacebridge.com, http://niagarafallsbridges.com/traffic_conditions.php3
• Note the NITTEC highway dynamic message signs with posted delays beyond 30 minutes
• Register at www.mynittec.org to receive a free personalized email or text notification of border and regional traffic information.
• Access Twitter at www.twitter.com/CBSA_BWT
• Have a passenger use a cell phone to access travel information at wap.gc.ca or www.gc.ca

May 31, 2012… Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed three new U.S. Commissioners to the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, the bi-national board that oversees three international bridges over the Niagara River.

They are Kathleen Neville, a public relations professional and former executive director of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo; Russell Quarantello, a Lewiston resident and business manager of IBEW Local #237; and Francis Soda, a retired social studies teacher at Niagara Falls High School and a Niagara Falls resident.

Each serves at the governor’s behest for an undetermined duration, as does the fourth American commissioner.

The new Commissioners replace Norma Higgs, Patrick Brown and Linda DiPasquale, all of whom lived in Niagara County and represented Western New York. They join Commission Vice-Chair Thomas G. Pryce and the four Canadian Commissioners; Michael Goodale, Chair; Ernest Smith; Janice Thomson; and Kenneth Loucks.

“We are pleased to have the three new Commissioners join us in our mission to facilitate commerce and the movement of goods and people safely and efficiently across our international border,” said Goodale. “Their varied backgrounds and experiences will help immeasurably with the work the Commission must accomplish in the next few years.”

The Commission operates the Lewiston-Queenston, Rainbow and NEXUS-only Whirlpool bridges. The Commission was created by a joint resolution of the 1938 U.S. Congress. The Extra Provincial Corporations Act of the Province of Ontario, Canada licenses the NFBC. Canada and the U.S. are equally represented on the eight-member Board of Commissioners.

Established to finance, construct and operate the Rainbow Bridge, the Commission proved sufficiently efficient and effective to assume responsibilities for the Whirlpool Rapids and Lewiston-Queenston bridges as well. The Commission builds and maintains facilities for Customs and Immigration functions on both sides of the border. The NFBC is self-supportive, largely through tolls and private-sector Customs broker leases. The Commission is federally chartered to conduct international commercial financial transactions and issue federal (U.S.) tax-exempt bonds.

No other single factor contributes more to tourism growth – indeed the export trade economy overall – than the NFBC’s three bridges. Niagara Falls crossings rank second only to Kennedy International Airport as the busiest port of entry between the United States and Canada. If you are about to travel over the Niagara River Gorge, your vehicle will take one of about 7.8 million passages expected this year on NFBC bridges.

Trade traversing the U.S.-Canada border exceeds $1 billion per day. Niagara Falls crossings ring up $26 billion per year. That’s $3 million rolling over the three bridges every hour. More than 500,000 U.S. and Canadian jobs depend on export traffic traveling across NFBC connectors.

Neville, who operates Neville Consultants, was senior vice president at Hill and Knowlton Public Relations in New York City and worked for Ketchum Public Relations in Washington, D.C. She was also an associate member of the Niagara County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The former television and radio broadcaster graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology and received a graduate fellowship in English/communications from Niagara University.

Quarantello is a master electrician who worked for numerous electric contractors over the years and also at Carborundum Co., Viatran Corp., and the U.S. Small Business Administration. He was elected to his position as the union local’s principal officer in 2007.

Soda retired in 2010 after a 41-year teaching career. He holds a BA and MA from Niagara University and an MS from Buffalo State College. He taught at Niagara Falls High School for 23 years and is also an adjunct at Erie Community College and Niagara University. A former Niagara Falls City Council member, twice, he also served on the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency.

April 4, 2012…Easter and Passover weekend holiday passage over the Niagara River on the three bridges the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission operates is expected to be heavy, but similar to 2011.

The number of open Canadian and American inspection lanes should be the same this year as in 2011.

Because the two religious holidays often arrive on different dates – Easter was April 22-25, 2011; April 2-5, 2010 and April 10-13 2009 – comparisons cannot be exact. But total 24-hour, four-day weekend volume for cars the previous three years was the following:

 Lewiston, U.S. bound, 2011, 20,016; 2010, 20,242; 2009, 20,473.
 Lewiston, Canada bound, 2011, 23,712; 2010, 18,191; 2009, 18,403.
 Rainbow, U.S. bound, 2011, 25,757; 2010, 19,391; 2009, 19,606.
 Rainbow, Canada bound, 2011, 20,771; 2010, 19,519; 2009, 19,756.

Peak times for crossing tended to be mid-afternoon to evening, with no waits several mornings before 10 a.m.

The NEXUS-only Whirlpool Rapids Bridge rarely has any delays.

“The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission again urges travelers using its three bridges to choose off-peak hours to cross, have appropriate documents ready, take advantage of NEXUS use and if they have purchases or other materials to declare to have them out for inspection,” said Lew Holloway, commission general manager.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a U.S. law, requires all travelers to the United States to present a valid passport or another approved secure document at the border. Acceptable forms of identification for both U.S. entry and re-entry into Canada that also meet the requirements of the WHTI include a passport, a NEXUS card, a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card and an enhanced driver’s license.

“The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission works closely with Customs on both sides of the border to speed the flow of travelers as much as it can,” Holloway said. “We must all keep in mind duty, tax and security considerations and be patient when crossing. People should know that we’re doing all we can to make our bridge operations as efficient and effective as possible.”

“It helps everyone if travelers plan to cross at off-peak hours,” he added.

Travelers Tips:
• Calling the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission’s toll free number at 1-800-715-6722 or call 511 for the latest traffic updates
• Tuning to radio to 1610 AM.
• Visiting any of the following websites: www.cbp.gov, www.cbsa.gc.ca, www.nittec.org, www.peacebridge.com, http://niagarafallsbridges.com/traffic_conditions.php3
• Noting the NITTEC highway dynamic message signs with posted delays beyond 30 minutes
• Registering at www.mynittec.org to receive a free personalized email or text notification of border and regional traffic information.
• Accessing Twitter at www.twitter.com/CBSA_BWT
• Have a passenger use a cell phone to access travel information at wap.gc.ca or www.gc.ca