Sensors in Highway 5A to transmit heavy truck data to CVSE officers

MERRITT — The B.C. government is introducing more safety improvements to a contentious stretch of highway between Kamloops and Merritt.

In a news release, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says sensors will be built into Highway 5A at a spot about three kilometres north of Merritt, with construction beginning in late spring.

The sensors will monitor commercial trucks as they pass, collecting the vehicle’s height, weight and tire conditions and compare them against acceptable and enforced standards.

Once the data is collected, it will be relayed to Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) officers in the area.

The government calls Highway 5A “an important alternative route for the trucking industry as the higher elevations make the Coquihalla Highway more susceptible to extreme weather conditions.”

However, critics and area residents have long argued the highway is not properly engineered for commercial truck traffic, saying heavy trucks should be confined to the parallel Coquihalla.