Because the International Railway Bridge no longer provided pedestrian access, it soon became a necessity to have another bridge to allow pedestrians and vehicles to cross between Buffalo and Fort Erie. By August 1925 funding was approved and building began. The bridge has five arches to span the Niagara River and an extension to span the Black Rock Canal on the American side. The Peace Bridge was opened on March 13, 1927, when the chief engineer, Edward Lupfer, who later designed the Rainbow Bridge, drove a car across. It was officially opened on June 1.