The Sûreté Québec announced Thursday afternoon that the Samuel de Champlain Bridge between Montreal and the South Shore had closed in both directions due to falling ice. It has since partially reopened.
This comes on the heels of Hydro-Québec revealing that thousands of customers could see their homes remain without power into the weekend due to (get this) ice and freezing rain.
The closure of the Champlain Bridge was confirmed by Québec 511 on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
\u201c#A10 dans les deux directions, sur le #PontSamueldeChamplain // FERMETURE compl\u00e8te par la SQ pour cause de chute de glace\u201d— Qu\u00e9bec 511 (@Qu\u00e9bec 511) 1680799860
At this point, it's worth asking whether literally anything in this city is prepared for the type of weather we see practically every year, but I'm neither a meteorologist, electrical engineer nor a politician.
\u201c**SUIVI** #A10 dans les deux directions, sur le #PontSamueldeChamplain // R\u00e9ouverture partielle // circulation \u00e0 basse vitesse pendant l'op\u00e9ration de d\u00e9gla\u00e7age\u201d— Qu\u00e9bec 511 (@Qu\u00e9bec 511) 1680799860
As de-icing work proceeds, there is limited circulation on the bridge — so it's not like we're trapped on the island or anything. Québec 511 said on Twitter that slow traffic is continuing as the bridge slowly returns to normal function Thursday afternoon.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Map highlighting locations of major construction and closures in the Montreal-area highway network.
Map highlighting locations of major construction and closures on Route 132.
Map highlighting locations of major construction and closures in the Saint-Pierre Interchange.
Map highlighting locations of major construction and closures on Highway 40.