Ontario Provincial Police say high winds blew over a tractor-trailer crossing a notoriously gusty highway bridge in the Niagara region on Wednesday, forcing officers to halt traffic in both directions until the wind dies down.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said two people were inside the truck at the time, but no one was seriously hurt.

The bridge was reopened in both directions around 5 p.m.

The Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway, which connects Burlington and Hamilton across the Burlington Bay Canal, is known for adverse driving conditions due to high winds and blowing snow.

“By the time a got a fourth of the way up the bridge, traffic pretty much slowed down to 30 miles per hour,” said the veteran driver of 35 years in a periscope interview with police after the crash. “It caught the back of the trailer and just kind of rolled it over like a wave.”

The driver says he and his co-driver suffered a few bumps and scrapes, but managed to walk away without serious injury. He said the fact that his trailer was empty may have played a role in causing the crash.

“I could feel when the wind hit it,” he said. “The next thing I knew I felt the back of the trailer go up.”

“They (the wind gusts) are strong enough to take me off of my feet here and that’s pretty scary when you are at the top of the bridge, so that is why we don’t want people up here on top of the bridge at all,” Schmidt said.

“It (the highway) won’t be reopened probably until this wind dies down.”

Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for the Niagara and Hamilton regions, saying gusts could reach up to 100 kilometres per hour.

“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage. High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break,” Environment Canada’s weather advisory reads.

The national weather advisory suggests drivers be prepared to adjust their habits until winds start to die down early Wednesday evening.