Thousand Islands Bridge Authority lifts storm restriction for high-profile vehicles

The Thousand Islands Bridge between Canada and the U.S. is seen here on Dec. 23, 2022. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority has lifted vehicle restrictions for the international crossing between Canada and the U.S. after a powerful winter storm battered the region on one of the busiest travel times of the year.

The restrictions were put in place midday Friday and remained in effect as a major winter storm pummelled eastern Ontario and western New York.

“As of 12:20 pm the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority began restricting all high-profile Commercial vehicles less than 60,000 lbs. in gross vehicle weight, recreational vehicles (RVs), buses, enclosed empty trailers, and other high-profile vehicles until wind speeds reduce,” the authority said in a news release Friday.

According to its website, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority was reporting wind speeds of around 50 miles per hour (appox. 80 km/h) on the U.S. side and around 60 km/h on the Canadian side just before 1 p.m.

The restriction was still lifted at around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The authority said it was seeing wind speeds of appoximately 40 km/h on the American side and close to 50 km/h on the Canadian side just before noon. The Canada Border Services Agency is reporting a delay for travellers of about 30 minutes crossing from the U.S. into Canada.

A major winter storm hit Ontario and the Midwestern United States Friday, bringing snow, rain, and strong winds.

Winter storm-related warnings were in effect on both sides of the border Friday. The blizzard warning for western New York State called for up to a metre of snow by Saturday and winds of more than 90 km/h. On the Canadian side, 20 to 30 mm of rain was expected before transitioning to roughly 40 cm of snow, with wind gusts of up to 120 km/h possible.