After being unexpectedly closed this week due to a crack, a bridge that serves as the only vehicular access to numerous villages located on Quebec’s north coast is scheduled to reopen the next weekend.
After discovering damage during a regular inspection on Tuesday, authorities decided to close the Touzel Bridge, which is located on Highway 138 and is located slightly over 1,000 kilometers northeast of Montreal.
The bridge goes across the Sheldrake River and connects Sept-Îles to other towns in the Minganie region, such as Havre-Saint-Pierre and others. There are around 6,500 people living in a total of 10 different municipalities in the Minganie region.
We will start doing work to reinforce the bridge.
The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, has announced that following the completion of a series of safety inspections by the Department of Transport, it has been determined that the bridge may be reopened to light vehicles beginning the weekend of June 10-11.
An air link will continue to be available for use in the event of an emergency, as stated by Guilbault in a tweet. The government of the province has been employing airlifts to transport people to hospitals and supply necessary products to the region.
This article was initially presented to the public by The Canadian Press on June 2nd, 2023.
