An aerial refueling system will be set up on Wednesday on the North Shore, after the indefinite closure of the Touzel bridge in Sheldrake. A crack discovered Tuesday during an inspection forced the government to prohibit any movement on this infrastructure linking Minganie to the rest of Quebec.
It was the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, who confirmed the implementation of this measure on Wednesday. Delivery by air will first be used for the supply of medical emergencies and foodstuffs. Discussions are also underway with the Société des traversiers du Québec to create boat connections.
“The analyzes by our teams should require 48 to 72 hours. The safety of citizens is our priority, ”assured Mr.me Guilbault on his Twitter account.
After a protocol inspection held at the start of the day, the Touzel bridge was completely closed on Tuesday for an indefinite period.
A crack was discovered on the metal structure of the bridge, making it potentially risky in the eyes of the authorities. Further analyzes will have to be done before determining a potential reopening date.
No car, pedestrian or cyclist traffic will therefore be possible until further notice. In the short term, the authorities invite users to avoid the area and review their trips, or even cancel them, if possible. For security reasons, Quebec calls on citizens not to cross the limits of the road.
A meeting of regional public security partners was held in the afternoon to take stock. Other such meetings should be held in the coming days, on a daily basis. The Ministry of Transport says that its analyzes will determine “the interventions to be recommended on the structure in order to restore minimum access to the communities”.
Concerned populations
Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Ginette Paquet, mayor of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, a municipality located about 60 kilometers from Sheldrake, affirms that the challenge will be great for her fellow citizens. “As soon as the truck hasn’t come for a few days, we’re out of stock. We are supplied with very short lead times. The truck that delivers fruit and vegetables, for example, passes here twice a week. It is enough that he arrives a day late and it shows, ”she maintains.
Today, people rushed to the convenience store, the grocery store, the pharmacy.
Ginette Paquet, Mayor of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan
Several residents wanted to make sure they had enough food in stock, such as bread and milk, said the elected municipal official. “We are going to have daily meetings with public security to follow this closely”, also indicates Mme Pack.
In a press scrum in Quebec on Tuesday, the minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, had earlier said she wanted to resolve the situation quickly. “We want to make sure it gets resolved as soon as possible. We know there is a road and it’s the 138. We’re here, we’ll keep in touch and make sure everything can go back to normal. […] so that people are not isolated,” she briefly told reporters.
Before commenting further on the sequel, Mr.me Jourdain first indicated that he wanted to “learn about the whole file”, by talking in particular with the local elected officials and prefects who are on the spot. “It’s really to come up with the best possible solutions,” she added.
As early as November 2021, the Ministry of Transport had warned in its last general inspection that it was necessary “to carry out a visual survey of the top of each stiffener to see if there are any cracks” on the Touzel bridge. It was then concluded that work was not immediately necessary. The bridge is approaching the end of its useful life, given its high exposure to bank erosion, a phenomenon that would not, however, be the cause of the current closure of the bridge.
Despite its immense territory, Minganie is home to less than 6,500 inhabitants, according to data from the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ). The majority of them live in Havre-Saint-Pierre. Built in 1973, the Touzel Bridge is located on Route 138 and spans the Sheldrake River. Its total length is 107 meters and its width is just over 11 meters.
With the collaboration of Tommy Chouinard, The Press