Sh0cking collision unfolded as a semi-truck slammed into a city overpass pillar. Knight Street closed southbound after truck hits overpass in Richmond, B.C.
Truck hit Cambie Road overpass on Friday morning. A commercial truck’s trailer is pictured after crashing into the Cambie Road overpass on Knight Street in Richmond, B.C., on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The southbound lanes of Knight Street have been shut down after a commercial truck hit an overpass in Richmond, B.C., on Friday.
A statement from RCMP said the truck hit the Cambie Road overpass, just south of the Knight Street Bridge, around 7:15 a.m. PT. The road closures will continue while officials confirm whether the overpass is stable.
“We do not have any timelines at the moment, but we are sympathetic to travellers. We strongly suggest re-routing,” RCMP said.
The City of Richmond said the highway falls under provincial jurisdiction, but city teams are looking at the overpass.
“City staff are working to undertake a structural examination of the bridge to ensure it is safe for traffic. That will occur throughout the day, and we hope to reopen the overpass as quickly as possible,” said a statement from the City of Richmond.
The commercial truck’s trailer ended up against the highway signs attached to the northern face of the overpass. City staff were called in to investigate the bridge’s stability after the collision. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
By mid-morning, the bed of the truck was still resting against the overpass. RCMP said they could not comment on whether the cab separated from the bed in the crash or whether it had been towed away.
Cpl. Dennis Hwang initially said the driver was co-operating with investigators.
But in a news release sent out at 3:30 p.m. PT by Richmond RCMP, Hwang said the driver of the commercial vehicle was not co-operating with them.
“It was determined that a commercial vehicle was towing a dump trailer in the raised position and it failed to clear the overpass,” Hwang said.
“The commercial vehicle was located some distance away as it was severed from the trailer unit.”
RCMP said no injuries were reported and the Richmond Road Safety Unit has taken over the investigation.
The RSU will be working with B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to conduct engineering and structural assessments of the Knight Street bridge deck, Cambie Road overpass and other nearby areas.
The collision is one of many incidents involving trucks hitting overpasses in the last year.
A string of overpass collisions in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley last summer led to truckers raising safety concerns in the region.
Last July, a crash at the Highway 1 overpass in Langley, B.C., became the eighth incidence of trucks carrying over-height loads striking overhead bridges, the province’s Transportation Ministry reported.
The B.C. Trucking Association said driver error does contribute to overpass collisions, but said the province needs to do more to improve highway infrastructure.