Tractor carrying SkyTrain Evergreen Line track flips over on Richmond highway

Just after noon today, a tractor trailer carrying a segment of the SkyTrain Evergreen Line’s prefabricated concrete segment flipped over and crashed on Highway 91.

According to CTV Vancouver, the load on the truck shifted while the vehicle was traveling from the Highway 91 offramp onto Highway 91A in Richmond.

A crane was dispatched to the scene of the accident soon after it occurred. The road reopened to traffic at 8 p.m.

Each specially designed concrete slab weighs between 23 and 26 tonnes and comprises a section of the elevated track that trains will travel on.

These concrete slabs are lifted then stringed and tightened into place by a 300 tonne gantry crane.

This also marks the third accident during the Evergreen Line’s construction process. Four months ago, a section of the elevated concrete guideway being built snapped and shifted six inches. On June 16, operator error caused the project’s gantry crane to also shift out of place.

However, construction issues for projects the size of the Evergreen Line are common.

The new $1.4 billion SkyTrain extension is scheduled for a summer 2016 opening, adding 11 kilometres and six new stations to the rapid transit rail network. 50,000 daily riders are expected to use the new line during its first year.

Semi carrying Evergreen Line track flips onto side, forcing closure of Hwy. 91 off-ramp: http://t.co/wtW8WDefhd pic.twitter.com/m5eepYIQM1

— CTV Vancouver (@CTVVancouver) July 16, 2014

Featured Image: CTV News