Transport Canada orders emergency repairs to Ambassador Bridge

Transport Canada says it has found safety deficiencies on the Canadian side of one of the busiest border crossings with the United States.

The agency says the deficiencies concern a section of railings and curbs on the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ont. to Detroit.

Transport Canada said Saturday that it issued an emergency directive to Canadian Transit Company, which owns the bridge.

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It has called for temporary concrete barriers between traffic and the outside curb as a safety precaution.

Transport Minister MarcGarneausays he hopes the Canadian Transit Company will do everything it can to speed repair work.

"The safety of the Ambassador Bridge is of critical importance, and I support the measures taken by my department to protect public safety,"Garneausaid in a statement. "Should action not be taken in a timely manner, I will not hesitate to take additional safety measures."

The Ambassador Bridge is the second-largest land border port of entry for total traveller volumes into Canada and the busiest in terms of commercial vehicles.