The Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge, in a 2018 image.KEN LUD
The Canadian city of Fort Frances (Ontario province) and the American city of International Falls (Minnesota state) are separated by a natural border: the Rainy River.
A bridge has linked these communities since the beginning of the 20th century.
This 287-meter-long engineering work allows nearly a million cars to cross each year.
Half of the bridge has been up for sale for a few weeks.
Municipal authorities and residents of the area are concerned about the impacts of this possible transaction.
Built in 1908, the Fort Frances – International Falls International Bridge (its official name) is owned in equal parts by the Canadian company Resolute Forest Products and the American company Boise, both paper producers. It has two lanes of traffic, a railroad track and a pipeline. For decades, these systems allowed two nearby plants - located in each country - to work at the same time. In 2014, the Canadian firm closed its factory in Fort Frances. At the end of April, the city council of this city was informed by representatives of Resolute Forest Products that the company put its 50% of the bridge up for sale, because it no longer considers it a neuralgic asset.
June Caul, Mayor of Fort Frances, noted that at least two companies are interested in acquiring the Canadian portion of the bridge.
Caul contacted Harley Droba, Mayor of International Falls;
both agreed in their concerns about the future of this terrestrial link.
Droba told
The International Falls Journal
that the most important thing is to know "what that will mean for traffic and tolls."
The price of the round trip for a vehicle is currently seven US dollars, but could increase.
More information
The 1,544 square kilometers of Canada in the hands of the United States by an error in a map of 1755
The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce has also reacted to uncertainty over the possible sale of half the bridge. "It is a primary transit point for commerce, merchandise and the tourism economy of the region," said its general director, Heather Johnston, to the
CBC
chain
. “We are a community on the border. Many residents of our city and International Falls are married to Canadians and Americans; we have families on both sides, "he added.
Mayors Caul and Droba are opening channels of dialogue with Ontario and Minnesota; the objective is to explore a possible purchase of the bridge by these governments. It is not the first time that such approaches have been carried out. In 2006, Fort Frances and International Falls unsuccessfully submitted a similar proposal to the same government bodies. At that time, some experts had estimated that between 8 and 12 million US dollars could be paid for the entire bridge. It is unknown how much Resolute Forest Products is ordering for the middle of this communication channel. The people of Fort Frances and International Falls eagerly await the outcome of this story. In the wake of the pandemic,the border points between Canada and the United States have been open since March 2020 for essential activities only. They will continue to operate in the same way, at least, until September.
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