One of Edmonton’s major roadways was closed to traffic for several hours early Monday morning while police investigated a suspicious package inside a vehicle.
Edmonton police said officers pulled over a suspicious vehicle on Whitemud Drive just after 3 a.m.
A suspicious package was discovered inside a vehicle and the EPS bomb detail was called out to investigate, police said in an update later in the morning.
While that happened, the Whitemud was closed in both directions on either side of the Quesnell Bridge.
A vehicle surrounded by police cruisers was spotted pulled over on the north side of the bridge, in the westbound lanes.
Police said the closure extended between 53 Avenue on the south side and 149 Street in the west end, although eastbound traffic on the Whitemud was being redirected further west at 159 Street because there’s no exit at 149 Street.
Traffic on Fox Drive could only head east/south on the Whitemud.
Drivers who wanted to cross the North Saskatchewan River had to detour to either Anthony Henday Drive, Groat Road or another bridge that crosses the river further downtown.
Motorists were asked to use one of those alternate routes for their morning commutes while police investigated.
Police said the suspicious package was safely removed from the area, but required further examination by bomb technicians so the situation was still under investigation.
A 32-year-old man was taken into custody in relation to the incident with several charges pending against him, police said.
Traffic on the Whitemud began to flow again just before 7 a.m.