The blocked lane of the Victoria Bridge was reopened late Friday afternoon after an emergency inspection was carried out on the structure following the passage of a heavy vehicle.
This was reported by the Ministry of Transport on X, via the Québec 511 account, a little after 4:30 p.m. Work had been carried out late in the morning on the eastern span of the bridge, forcing the closure of traffic towards Montreal. The interruption lasted more than five hours.
Canadian National (CN), which owns the infrastructure, had said that a commercial truck exceeding the authorized weight limit crossed the Victoria Bridge. The legal restriction there is 27,000 pounds.
“The truck was intercepted by police and CN closed the bridge for an emergency inspection. CN crews are working as quickly as possible to complete the inspection in order to reopen the Victoria Bridge for the evening rush hour,” Ashley Michnowski, a spokesperson for the railway organization, said in an email.
Federal regulations surrounding the Victoria Bridge prohibit the movement of heavy goods vehicles. A fine of “not more than $40” is provided for anyone violating this regulation, we read on the Canadian government website.
This event complicated travel for many users to the metropolis. About 25,000 motorists per day use this bridge to cross from one bank to the other. The railway industry was also impacted, with dozens of freight and passenger trains using it on a daily basis.
This is not the first time that this bridge has had to be closed for an emergency inspection. In early August, it was blocked due to a subsidence on Route 112. Repair work on an aqueduct had to be carried out, causing the Victoria Bridge to be closed in both directions for an entire day.
In March 2022, the infrastructure was also unexpectedly closed for more than three hours to carry out an inspection.