‘Major delays’ in Brantford after concrete falls on Highway 403
The Ministry of Transportation was called to investigate Monday afternoon after slabs of concrete from the Wayne Gretzky Parkway overpass bridge fell onto Highway 403 in Brantford — the second such incident reported this year.
The concrete fell around 2 p.m. when a piece of construction equipment, carried atop a commercial vehicle travelling along the highway, struck the bridge, the ministry said in a statement.
“When the bridge was struck, a girder protecting the bridge was dislodged and fell on the highway below,” Lee Alderson, senior issues adviser for the ministry, told The Spectator via email.
No injuries were reported in the incident that sparked hefty, hourslong traffic delays at major entry and exit points surrounding Brantford.
Ontario Provincial Police closed both eastbound and westbound lanes on the 403, as well as southbound and northbound lanes on the parkway, as ministry engineers conducted damage and structural assessments of the bridge.
Four hours later, just before 6:10 p.m., police opened eastbound lanes on the 403 and southbound lanes on the parkway. But it remains unclear whether the other affected arteries will be reopened by Tuesday morning.
“The exact time is not yet determined,” said Alderson, noting inspections and removal of debris are still ongoing.
It’s the second time this year — and third since December 2021 — that police have had to close the 403 near Brantford because of concrete falling from the overhead parkway. In January, a dump truck pulling a trailer and an excavator crashed into the overpass at the parkway, causing pieces of crumbled concrete to fall overtop the 403 and damage a pair of westbound vehicles. One northbound lane of the Wayne Gretzky Parkway has been closed to traffic since then.
The bridge was also struck last December, the ministry said, by an oversized transport load being carried along the 403.
“These (two) repairs are currently being tendered,” said Alderson.
The ministry did not respond to a request from The Spectator for their latest condition report into the bridge.