The Jacques-Cartier Bridge reopens after environmental protest

Early Tuesday morning, two protesters scaled one of the structures of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, prompting a police operation that left the bridge blocked for nearly seven hours and left rush-hour drivers seriously concerned about traffic.

The bridge connecting Montreal’s south shore to downtown Montreal reopened around noon.

Quebec provincial police, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), said they had arrested two people and that investigators were meeting with them. No one was hurt.

The incident began shortly before 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

By 6 a.m., traffic on the bridge was severely snarled in both directions.

Around 7 a.m., SQ reported that two protesters were still in the building trying to negotiate a peaceful end to the protest.

Police have urged people affected by the closure to work from home if possible.

A protester who spoke to Radio-Canada said the protest was organized by two groups: Last Generation Canada and Collectif Antigone.

They call for an end to investment in fossil fuels.