01-05-2025
More frustration after pair of over-height truck strikes in Fraser Valley
There is renewed frustration in B.C.'s Fraser Valley after a pair of collisions involving commercial vehicles with oversized loads and local infrastructure.
Both vehicles, operated by different trucking companies, were carrying identical loads from the same shipper.
The first strike happened around 2:45 p.m., when a tractor-trailer with an overweight load hit the Number 3 Road overpass eastbound on Highway 1 in Chilliwack.
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'Unfortunately, a familiar story. The truck hit the overpass and this time got stuck and needed to be unstuck,' said Cpl. Michael McLaughin of BC Highway Patrol.
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'There certainly was some damage, it appears to be relatively minor, so not structural, the overpass is still working, but enough that it did cause a real inconvenience and require a cleanup on the highway.'
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About two hours later, another truck with an oversized load struck telecom wires near Clearbrook Road and South Fraser Way in Abbotsford.
'The driver operating that truck was off his approved, permitted route. He did have an oversized permit, but the permit was very clear; there are stipulations to the routes they are supposed to take when travelling through various communities, and he was far from that approved route, as a result, on a non-truck route sticking low wires,' said Abbotsford police Sgt. Paul Walker.
'It ripped down a significant amount of them, impacting Rogers and Telus customers. It also took out a telephone pole and a city streetlight.'
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That collision resulted in 12-hour road closures and a lengthy outage of telephone and internet service for a number of area residents.
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The Ministry of Transportation said the trucking companies involved are Ryanson Transport and Prime Flatbed Ltd., both based in Alberta.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch is investigating, and both drivers have each been fined $713, it added.
The CVSE is also in contact with enforcement officials in Alberta.
