Hot News: Burlington Skyway crash: What you need to know

Burlington Skyway bridge closure: what you need to know What happened:

On Thursday at 3:40 p.m. ET a dump truck tried to travel over the bridge with its bucket raised. The bucket slammed into the bridge's overhead steel trusses and girders, causing extensive damage. The driver, a 34-year-old Brampton, Ont., man, has since been charged with impaired driving. What's closed:

The QEW is closed between Eastport Drive and North Shore Boulevard. The lanes eastbound to Toronto are closed. The bridge now needs to be inspected by structural engineers, which is expected to happen today. The repairs, however, could take days. The closure only affects Toronto-bound traffic on the QEW. Traffic lanes heading south over the bridge and into the Niagara region will be open, though drivers can expect it will be slow. How busy is this bridge?:

Located at the western end of Lake Ontario, the bridge is a crucial link between the Greater Toronto Area and the Niagara Peninsula, which borders upstate New York. It carries about 80,000 vehicles a day. To make matters worse:

The shutdown happens ahead of the August long weekend, one of the summer's busiest for highway travel. Carloads of visitors, many from the U.S., make the trip to Toronto for Caribana. Alternate route:

Drivers heading to Toronto from south of the bridge can take Eastport Drive, which runs under the Skyway bridge. Traffic was moving slowly on Eastport at 6:30 a.m. ET Friday. Another option for northbound drivers is to exit the QEW at Centennial Parkway or the Redhill Valley Parkway and make their way through Hamilton to connect with northbound Highway 403.

ALL TORONTO BOUND LANES CLOSED ON QEW AT BURLINGTON SKYWAY pic.twitter.com/YV6yvWlvEO- name can't be blank (@satansux) July 31, 2014

Post By http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/burlington-skyway-crash-what-you-need-to-know-1.2724775