Crash on the Chenaux Bridge

More terrible evidence that the driving is dangerous around here. Two women were killed yesterday in a head-on collision on the Chenaux Bridge near Portage-du-Fort (CBC News, Ottawa Citizen). The Citizen reports that the driver of the car carrying the women may have lost control.

This crossing, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is actually two bridges and a dam; the highway hops across two islands in the Ottawa River in front of the Chenaux generating station; see this map. On the Quebec side, the road is narrow and twisty and the speed limit is only 50 km/h. On the Ontario side, they’ve had to reduce the speed limits; there have been accidents when vehicles didn’t slow down enough for the twisty bits past the first bridge entering Quebec. The car involved was travelling from Ontario when they hit the other vehicle. I wonder how icy the bridge was yesterday, and how fast they were going when they reached it.

Previously: Crash on the 148.

Update, Jan. 3: Follow-up Ottawa Citizen coverage; Jennifer knew both victims and taught the daughter.