MONTREAL — One of the main bridges motorists use to travel from Montreal to Ontario on the Trans-Canada Highway system has been closed for safety reasons.

Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel said Thursday on Twitter engineers decided to close the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge for the safety of its users.

A Transport Department news release said workers observed damage to reinforcing rods that could have weakened the structure of the aging bridge.

Shortly after 5 p.m., traffic cameras showed access to the bridge closed off, and the Transport Department said the closure is expected to have significant repercussions on traffic.

The Île-aux-Tourtes bridge links the western tip of the Island of Montreal with the town of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., and is used by 87,000 vehicles a day, 10 per cent of which are trucks.

The bridge was put into service in 1965, and the Quebec government says it is in the planning stages of rebuilding the structure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2021.

The Canadian Press