South Span Bridge Closure Update - 2:53 p.m.
May 8, 2015
The Emergency Planning offices for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe are notifying the community that the Emergency Operations Center has been partially activated as of 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. This decision is the result of information received from the Seaway International Bridge Corporation noting that the South Span Bridge will remain closed for 48 hours.
Vehicular traffic to and from the city of Cornwall to Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island) will remain unchanged for the bridges North Span.
Traffic across the South Span Bridge remains prohibited at this time, with the exception of emergency response vehicles.
Additional measures are being taken to ensure the safety and travel needs of local residents are addressed.The Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education (AMBE) dismissed students at 1:00 p.m. and all offices of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne will be closing at 3:00 p.m. today.
Reports have been received that community members are providing water taxi services to and from Kawehno:ke.Their assistance is greatly appreciated; however, we remind individuals that they do so with caution and that they take their own personal safety into consideration. More information regarding water taxis will be shared in future updates.
Individuals needing to travel to and from Kawehno:ke may continue to utilize the bridge crossings located in Ogdensburg, NY/Prescott, ON and in Valleyfield, QC.
In case of an emergency, please contact the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services at 613-575-2000 or the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police at 518-358-9200.
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Please direct media inquiries to the Communications Department at 518-358-2272.