City opens St. Francis Street to some trucks
Heavy vehicles that no longer have access to the Bishop's Bridge will be able to use St. Francis Street to access Route 108 from Sherbrooke.
The City of Sherbrooke modified its ban on heavy vehicles between Bowen St. South and Route 108 as long as the bridge in Lennoxville is closed to vehicles weighing more than 18 tonnes. Using St. Francis Street will be permitted to "medium trucks of no more than four axles."
Heavy traffic has been banned since the end of January on the steel bridge over the Massawippi in Lennoxville. The Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) made the decision due to the poor state of the surface. This prohibition has required truckers traveling on Route 108 to make a major detour to continue on their way to Sherbrooke.
The City's decision aims to permit material delivery trucks to pass through this sector for access to Sherbrooke. The ban will be reinstated when the Bishop's Bridge has been repaired.
The MTQ says that replacing the bridge deck should take place this summer when the traffic on College St. and at Bishop's University is less heavy.
Last week’s announcement that the extension of Highway 410 to Highway 108 should have no impact on plans for the bridge, the MTQ says. Another year, another successful daffodil campaign for the team of dedicated at work in the communities of Ayer's Cliff, Birchton, Bulwer, Bury, Cookshire, Earlstown, Hatley, Huntingville, Lennoxville, Milby, North Hatley, and Sawyerville: While those wishing to contribute to the Canadian Cancer Society's annual flower fundraiser in other areas are only now getting the chance, more than 20,000 flowers are already sitting on tables and counter tops in these parts of the Eastern Townships thanks to the efforts of a small group of women who have been putting their own spin on the daffodil campaign longer than any of them can say for certain. According to longtime volunteer Maureen Quigg, 85 per cent of the funds raised go back into the work of the Cancer Society, with 79 per cent of that being used directly for projects on the local level. While the majority of the flowers have already been delivered, supporters in communities like North Hatley and Bury can expect their flowers to be at their community's pick-up location today.