Water Could Be Diverted From American Side of Niagara Falls, Temporarily

The Associated Press said officials warned in a report released last October that the two concrete arch bridges need to be replaced.

But waterfalls are no friend to bridges – and that may require one of Niagara’s fabled falls to be shut off for a time.

Plans to replace two 115-year-old pedestrian bridges could involve shutting down the water flowing over one section of the falls by building a temporary structure to redirect it to another. At least, the American side of the falls.

While dewatering Niagara Falls may seem like a task of Herculean proportions, more than 80 percent of the Niagara River flows over Canada’s Horseshoe Falls.

The first plan would de-water the falls using a temporary cofferdam for five months between August and December.

According to the report, after crews demolish the original bridges, the replacement bridges must be constructed “in the dry”, to allow for safe construction procedures and to ensure that the new foundations are firmly anchored to bedrock.

Although the entire construction process is slated to take two years, the falls will be dewatered for less than six months.

New York State is in the very preliminary stages of a plan to dewater Niagara Falls and fix the bridges.

State officials have been moving to replace the bridges since 2004 when they were found to have deteriorated to the point where they were closed. The spectacle of a completely dry Niagara Falls was quite remarkable to see, added Robert Borgatti, who was 13 and lived in Niagara Falls back in 1969.

The project could cost anywhere from $21.6 million to $37.3 million.

Whatever happens on Wednesday, the public won’t see rocks instead of water on the American side of the iconic falls for several years, Simons said.