A crack in one of the beams on the underside of the West Montrose covered bridge, discovered on Wednesday morning, forced the Region of Waterloo to close the structure to traffic.

Emergency services were called to close the bridge by installing signs until further inspections can be done to determine the severity of the deficiency, said Steve van De Keere, the region’s director of transportation.

Given its age and wooden structure, the bridge is bound to deteriorate over time, he noted.

“Wooden bridges especially this one, was never designed or built to carry heavy vehicular loads, for as long as the bridge has been in existence, so over time the wooden components start to fail.”

The bridge will remain closed pending a more detailed inspection to determine the extent of the damage and what repairs are required.