Trucks weighing 28 tonnes or less will once again be able to travel on the Touzel Bridge, located on Route 138 on the North Shore, starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Semi-trailers carrying fuel will also be authorized to use the bridge over the Sheldrake River at Rivière-au-Tonnerre, Quebec’s transport ministry announced in a release Friday evening.
The ministry emphasized that the load limit on the bridge must be respected.
"The total weight includes the weight of the vehicle, its fuel, its load and the equipment attached to it,” it said.
The bridge suddenly closed last week after a crack was discovered in one of its girders. Work was done in the last few days to install reinforcement plates.
The bridge closure has isolated around 6,500 people who live in Minganie communities.
The road infrastructure reopened to traffic Thursday, but only for light vehicles.
However, a new temporary closure is scheduled for Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., in order to dismantle a hose installed on the bridge earlier this week to supply gasoline to communities to the east, says the ministry.
Traffic will keep flowing on an alternating basis. On Twitter, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, spoke of "excellent news at the start of the tourist season on the North Shore,” praising the work of her department.
The airlift to resupply communities will be in place for as long as necessary, while the passenger airlift will continue until Sunday inclusive, said the ministry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 9, 2023.
