Blackfriars Bridge closed to vehicular traffic until Friday despite committee debate

Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ont., will be temporarily closed to vehicle traffic as of Monday.

The closure, which will be lifted on Friday, is set to allow crews to complete “the installation of accent lighting on the bridge,” according to the city.

Earlier this month, the civic works committee debated whether or not to keep the bridge open to vehicular traffic, with the majority of members voting in favour of keeping it open.

Detailed during the meeting, a survey of more than 1,200 residents completed over the past year saw that 49 per cent strongly agreed with permanently banning vehicles from the bridge, while 38 per cent strongly disagreed.

As part of the discussion, a public participation meeting was held where most Londoners voiced their support and of the 14 people that spoke, 10 favoured closing the bridge to vehicles.

While the committee’s decision will come before full council on June 27 for approval, the city said in a statement on Friday that it would be going ahead with the closure until then.

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Access to the bridge will still be open for people walking or riding bikes.

The lighting enhancements come in part with the Blackfriars Bridge Rehabilitation project. Installation of the lights began in the fall, and finishing touches will be made next week to complete the lighting enhancements.

– with files from Global News’ Marshall Healey.