Knight Street closed southbound after truck hits overpass in Richmond, B.C.

Truck hit Cambie Road overpass on Friday morning

A commercial truck crashed into the Cambie Road overpass on Knight Street in Richmond, B.C. Friday morning, causing the southbound lanes of Knight Street to be closed.

According to the RCMP, the collision occurred around 7:15 a.m. PT, just south of the Knight Street overpass. The closure will remain in effect until authorities confirm the overpass is structurally sound.

“We don’t have a specific timeframe at this time, but we sympathize with motorists. We advise people to choose alternative routes,” the RCMP stated.

The City of Richmond said the route falls under provincial jurisdiction, but city teams are coordinating an inspection of the overpass.

“City personnel are conducting a structural inspection of the overpass to ensure traffic safety. This will be ongoing throughout the day, and we hope to reopen the overpass as soon as possible,” a Richmond City representative said.

The trailer of the commercial truck came to rest against highway signs mounted on the north side of the overpass. City staff were called in to assess the bridge’s structural stability following the collision. It was not immediately clear whether the truck driver remained at the scene or if the vehicle had been towed away.
Cpl. Dennis Hwang initially said the driver was cooperating with investigators. However, in a news release issued by Richmond RCMP at 3:30 p.m. PT, Hwang said the driver was no longer cooperating.
“It was determined that a commercial vehicle was towing a dump trailer in the raised position and failed to clear the overpass,” Hwang said. “The commercial vehicle was located some distance away after it became separated from the trailer.”
RCMP confirmed that no injuries were reported. The Richmond Road Safety Unit has taken over the investigation.
The unit will work with B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to carry out engineering and structural assessments of the Knight Street bridge deck, the Cambie Road overpass, and surrounding infrastructure.

The collision is the latest in a series of incidents involving trucks striking overpasses over the past year. Multiple crashes in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley last summer prompted truck drivers to raise safety concerns.

In July, a collision at the Highway 1 overpass in Langley marked the eighth incident of an over-height commercial vehicle striking an overhead bridge, according to the provincial transportation ministry. The B.C. Trucking Association has acknowledged that driver error plays a role in such crashes but says more must be done to improve highway infrastructure.

Separately, in New Orleans, a crash involving an overturned dump truck closed multiple westbound lanes of U.S. 90B on the Crescent City Connection Bridge on Monday, Oct. 14. The crash occurred before noon, initially shutting down three lanes. All westbound lanes were closed for nearly three hours before reopening around 3 p.m.