September 1, 2010

Causeway collapse forces Saskatchewan highway closure

MOOSE JAW, Sask.

A section of causeway on a highway in Saskatchewan has collapsed into a lake, causing a crane that was being used for repairs to crash into the water.

No one was injured, but one eyewitness say it was a close for a member of the construction crew working to repair the structure.

Police say the crane was working on a bridge section of the Buffalo Pound Causeway on Highway 2 north of Moose Jaw Aug. 28 when a portion of the bridge collapsed.

Saskatchewan infrastructure minister Jim Reiter said the causeway was undergoing $2 million worth of repairs as part of a bridge rehabilitation project. He said the crane fell after some girders gave way.

“Thankfully nobody was hurt ... but we’re still extremely concerned, so we’ve got our engineers and our bridge people out there right now doing an investigation so we can find out what happened,” Reiter said.

The bridge, built in the 1970s, is described as being on one of Saskatchewan’s busier routes, carrying about 1,800 vehicles a day.

The highway is now completely closed. The provincial highways department said crews could have one of the causeway’s two lanes open by sometime next week.

Canadian Press

Print | Email | Comment