Monday, March 05, 2007

Flying ice from CN Tower closes highway



Canadian Press and Globe and Mail Update

TORONTO — Sheets of ice being sheared off the CN Tower in downtown Toronto by strong winds have prompted police to close a section of a busy east-west highway and limit access on a key route into the heart of the city's financial district.

The Gardiner Expressway along the city's waterfront has been closed in both directions along a 2.5 kilometre stretch (between Yonge Street and Spadina Avenue).

A police officer said several pieces of ice were torn loose from the 533-metre tower, including one piece “four feet by four feet and several inches thick” that flew over top of the Gardiner.

The officer added that several pieces about the size of baseballs have landed on the Gardiner, and after falling from more than 500 metres, they can “kill people.”
Related to this article

The officer said a “very large chunk of ice is ready to blow away from the tower,” and the expressway will not be opened until police feel it's safe to do so. Environment Canada had issued a wind warning for Toronto due to gusts expected to reach up to 90 kilometres an hour.

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