Welland Canal Bridge 11 Welland Canal Bridge 11 Bridge 11, also known as the Allanburg Bridge, is a vertical-lift bridge over the Welland Canal within the City of Thorold and community of Allanburg, Ontario, Canada. The location was used for the groundbreaking ceremony for the canal. It was constructed and completed in 1930. The bridge carries Hwy 20 connecting Niagara Falls to Fonthill. The bridge has a main span. It was designed by Harrington, Howard & Ash, the predecessor of HNTB. It was rehabilitated in 2001 and is a through-truss vertical-lift bridge with clearance for shipping. On August 11, 2001, the bridge was struck
First Welland Canal along the same route four days later. As mentioned before, the route to Lake Erie afforded by the canal, following the Welland and Niagara Rivers, was difficult and slow. The Feeder connected directly to Lake Erie, but it was long, and, not intended as a ship canal, of insufficient capacity. Over the course of the canal's first full navigation season in 1830, it became evident that a more direct route was necessary. In March 1831, a location called Gravelly Bay (now Port Colborne) was chosen as the new Lake Erie terminus for the canal. It was one of the closest