Traffic on the Champlain Bridge moves at a crawl during rush hour, but there will be another reason for snail-paced circulation early Monday morning.

From midnight to 3 a.m., drivers will have to reduce their speed to 10 kilometres per hour to accommodate load-bearing tests that will be conducted on the bridge.

The tests involve a truck carrying 30 tonnes that will be driving up and down the bridge, while monitoring equipment mounted under the bridge will record results.

The data collected during the tests help the federal bridge authority evaluate the state of the beams on Champlain Bridge.

The tests will be carried out one side of the bridge at a time.

Signs to warn drivers about the tests and ask them to slow down will be erected at the bridge’s entrances.