Key Issues

Selecting a New Bridge Design

The issue of what the new bridge should look like has been debated for years with many people having strong held views. To resolve this issue a Peace Bridge Design Selection Jury was established by the Town of Fort Erie and the City of Buffalo to recommend a preferred bridge concept to the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority. The jury consisted of 32 members from the U.S. and Canada who were appointed by their respective mayors and from involved agencies.

The jury deliberated for over 12 weeks with intense review of technical documentation and the graphic representations of 33 bridge concept alternatives. The members discussed issues of vision, aesthetics, public input, bridge function, costs, security and history as they evaluated the ability of bridge concepts to meet all of those considerations.

The jury framed a vision that called for a great crossing experience that symbolically represents the strengths and imagination of the community. They also agreed to retain the existing bridge, excluded from consideration the "twin span", and segmental bridges, and most of the arched bridges, electing to concentrate mostly on cable stay companion bridge concepts.

The jury recommended a Two Tower Cable Stay Companion Bridge design - Concept No. 6 - which has two needle shaped towers that straddle the roadway, supporting a main span of 500 meters (1,600 feet). One tower is located on the western shore and the other is located on the west side of the Black Rock Canal; both have a height of approximately 173 meters (567 feet). The cables connect to the outside edges of the roadway and run to the outside face of the towers near the base, which transition to the central spindle near the top. Renderings of the recommended bridge design can be viewed here. The concept was designed by renowned bridge engineer Dr. Christian Menn. This concept was considered by the jury to most closely meet the vision and considerations providing a simple and elegant structure that provides a great crossing experience while respecting and maintaining a clear view of the existing bridge.

In addition the jury recommended several enhancements to the two-tower cable stay bridge design including; softening the lines of the tower; that all aspects of final design should preserve and respect the simplicity and elegance of the design; that security consideration should be incorporated from the start and not compete with the simplicity and elegance of the concept; and, that both the pedestrian and driving experience should be respected through the use of transparent traffic railings.

The Partnering Group - City of Buffalo, Town of Fort Erie, and Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority - met with the jury co-chairs and formally received the jury's recommendations and final report. The recommendations are included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, available for public review and comment.