Two sets of crash bars have been installed heading towards the Riverside Drive overpass (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Road Safety

Overpass gets more protection

May 31, 2019 | 4:54 PM

The City of Prince Albert and provincial government have teamed up to protect the Riverside Drive overpass.

This week two sets of crash bars were installed to alert truck drivers of the bridge’s vehicle height restrictions. The issue was recently in the news due to some high profile incidents.

Nicole Miller capital projects manager with the City of Prince Albert said this is the most recent measure taken to protect the overpass.

“This is our fourth line of defence we have done with the city to give trucks advanced warning,” she said.

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Previously warning signs and flashing lights were installed. The bars are to provide drivers with a delay to stop their vehicles prior to reaching the overpass. Along with the extra infrastructure, traffic was rerouted for heavy trucks travelling through the city.

Since 1980 the bridge was hit 12 times. Miller said while the number of hits have dropped off over time, the cost of repairs to the overpass have increased over the same time. She added costs have risen from $200,000 to $300,000.

The bars will cost around $42,000, but other potential solutions were reviewed. One included deepening the road under the bridge at a cost of over $600,000.

The province and the city will split the crash bar costs, with the provincial government picking up 73 per cent of the total cost and the city kicking in the rest.

Miller said she and others are optimistic this will minimize future damage.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn