Update on the Bridgestatus.ca. Live Welland Canal Bridge Map — looking for advice/support from the community
Hi everyone,
A while ago, I shared a website I built, bridgestatus.ca, that shows a live map of bridge statuses along the Welland Canal. The goal was pretty simple: make it easier for local residents to quickly see which bridges are open or closed, instead of having to rely on text-based status pages or guess which route to take.
Since then, the website has grown way more than I expected. I’m really grateful that so many people have found it useful, especially people who live, work, commute, or travel around St. Catharines, Thorold, Welland, and Port Colborne.
Because of the recent increase in users, I had to make some changes behind the scenes. Originally, the site used the Google Maps API, but the traffic started pushing it past the free usage limits, which meant I was paying costs out of my own pocket. To keep the website free and accessible for everyone, I’ve been working on moving it toward a free/open-source map solution instead.
My long-term goal is to turn this into a proper mobile app for iOS and Android, with a cleaner interface, faster access, and features that would make it even more useful for locals. The challenge is that there are developer fees, hosting costs, and other expenses that come with building and maintaining something like this.
I’m wondering if anyone knows whether the City of St. Catharines, Niagara Region, or any local community/transportation programs offer funding or support for small civic tech projects like this. I’d love to keep improving it and make it something that genuinely helps the community.
For now, I’ve also created a Buy Me a Coffee page for anyone who is willing to support the project:
https://buymeacoffee.com/saqibkhan
Any support would go directly toward development costs for the bridge map project, including hosting, app developer fees, and improving the website/app experience. Of course, there’s absolutely no pressure — even feedback, suggestions, or pointing me toward the right people/programs would mean a lot.
Thank you to everyone who has used the site, shared it, or given feedback so far. I really appreciate the support, and I’m hoping to keep building this into something even more helpful for the community.
Posted Jun 7, 2026, 4:42 AM UTC