Motorists should avoid the area.
Montreal’s morning rush hour was plunged into chaos early Tuesday after a small group of demonstrators shut down the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in both directions by climbing the span.
According to the environmental activist group Collectif Antigone, which includes “experienced activist climbers,” two protesters began their ascent of the span linking Montreal and South Shore Longueuil around 5 a.m.
The group claims on their Facebook page that a similar action had been taken in 2019 to protest against federal government inaction on climate change.
The group argues that in the five years since then, the climate emergency has become more more acute, yet Ottawa has done nothing to reverse the trend.
The group Last Generation Canada is also part of Tuesday’s protest action.
While authorities were initially able to maintain the Montreal-bound lanes of the bridge open to traffic, they were quickly obliged to close the span in both directions.
The Sûreté du Québec is urging motorists to avoid the area.
According to the Collectif Antigone the climbers intend to unfurl a banner on the bridge’s superstructure with the message: “Oil is killing us.”
Within minutes of the bridge’s shutdown being reported, traffic began to stack up on alternative routes as far west as the Mercier Bridhe.
On Oct. 8, 2019, three members of Extinction Rebellion climbed the Jacques Cartier Bridge and forced the shutdown of the span for an hour. The trio were later arrested by police.
This story will be updated.