Not enough salt used to prevent Port Mann crashes

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SURREY (NEWS1130) – Traffic was a mess on the Port Mann Bridge, with crews taking hours to clear several accidents that Mounties say involved up to 40 vehicles.

One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The RCMP adds no one is being charged in connection with the crashes.

The Transportation Investment Corporation admits the bridge was not properly de-iced.  The last time the brine solution was put on the bridge deck was 4 a.m. Wednesday. It was supposed to keep things from icing up for about 48 hours.  Max Logan with TI Corp. says it’s clear the brine application every 48 hours is not sufficient.

He adds the maintenance contractor continued to monitor the situation, “but despite these efforts, the concentration of that salt water brine solution was not sufficient and ice accumulated on the bridge deck between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Moving forward, we have instructed the maintenance contractor to make sure they are applying that brine a minimum of once per day.”

Logan says they will also need to use crystal salt when conditions are this slippery.

Meanwhile, NDP Transportation Critic Harry Bains says drivers are not comfortable taking the span when the weather changes.

“The minimum they expect from this government is a bridge that is safe under all weather conditions.  Twice it failed a major test, first with ice-bombs dropping from cables onto the cars.  So it certainly has created fear in many motorists’ minds,” he insists.

“I want to be clear that there is nothing to indicate that this morning’s incidents have anything to do with the materials used on the new bridge or the bridge design. The asphalt on the new Port Mann is the same as used on the old bridge, and elsewhere on the Lower Mainland,” said Transportation Minister Mary Polak in a statement.

No one was seriously hurt, but Logan adds deductibles will not be covered for drivers involved in the pile-ups, in contrast to arrangements made with ICBC during the ice-bombs situation.

One of the drivers who crashed on the bridge is voicing her frustrations, saying cars on the Port Mann “didn’t have a chance.”

Kelly Brown was heading to work westbound before 6 a.m. on Highway 1 and she adds there was no indication of any problem on the road.  But then she reached the Port Mann Bridge.

“We couldn’t stop.  Nobody could stop up there.  The policeman I spoke with said they are all skating out there. They are all trying to walk and they are all skating.”

Brown’s 2012 Ford Focus was involved in an accident.

“Somebody is at fault: either the Transportation Ministry for not salting properly or the bridge wasn’t constructed properly.  But to have 40 cars pile up and I’m expected to pay for that on top of my taxes to build the bridge and the toll to go over the bridge, I want a safe route to work.”

Her vehicle is now in the tow-yard along with dozens of others.  “I’m being told to drive over the bridge and now I’m paying a deductible to get hurt on the bridge,” she adds.

Weather conditions 

“The shallow fog patches re-formed and they’re clinging to the roads, the bridge deck, some of the sidewalks and they’re rapidly freezing over because the ground surface temperature is a few degrees below zero.  We’ve got a thin film of ice with very slippery conditions,” says News1130 Meteorologist Russ Lacate.

“As we replace the black ice with sun in this afternoon’s outlook, you might think we’re in the clear. But actually, I’m quite concerned about a redevelopment of treacherous icy conditions this evening and overnight.”

“It’s actually going to cloud over and start raining, with temperatures dropping back down near zero. You’ll find that rare threat of freezing rain in our Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley forecast tonight, lasting into the early morning hours tomorrow,” adds Lacate.

Drivers need to take responsibility when tackling tricky conditions

Ken Cousin with BCAA says a bridge surface is very different from a normal driving surface.

“Some of the recently-constructed bridges are quite large, and the compounds of those bridges are different. They are not on the ground, they are in the air, so they get affected by things like fog. So that will affect the road surface differently.”

He says the Port Mann’s nice wide lanes are making drivers complacent about the need to adjust their speed on the deck.

He adds your ability to manoeuvre your car on black ice improves if you have four winter-tread tires.

By the way, if you find yourself in a slide as a result black ice, don’t panic and don’t do anything radical with the steering wheel. That slippery patch is likely a small one.

For up to the minute traffic updates, you can follow us on Twitter @News1130Traffic or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox. You can also listen live to traffic reports every 10 minutes on the ones.

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