Excavator’s boom arm strikes bridge by Highway 403

Incident similar to previous crashes into bridge in 2022

Brant OPP investigate an incident on Hwy. 403 at Wayne Gretzky Parkway.

An excavator riding atop a transport truck struck a Highway 403 bridge with its boom arm, causing highway closures on Monday afternoon.

Brant Ontario Provincial Police responded to the collision, which closed all westbound lanes of Hwy. 403 at Wayne Gretzky Parkway at around 11:21 a.m.

There are no reported injuries, but debris broke the windshield of a nearby vehicle, Jonathan Bueckert, OPP spokesperson, wrote in an email.

The excavator, which had its boom raised, hit the bottom of the highway bridge. While the excavator was damaged, the truck sustained little impact.

Police have also closed all northbound lanes on Wayne Gretzky Parkway at Henry Street.

The incident mirrors previous impacts on the same bridge from 2022.

The Ministry of Transportation is checking the structure of the bridge and cleanup is in progress. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from The Spectator.

Police expect the highway to remain closed into the late afternoon on Monday, Bueckert said.

The collision has caused delays and increased traffic as police redirect drivers off the highway to Wayne Gretzky Parkway.

Drivers are asked to find alternative routes on their commute, police said.

Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. [email protected].