The trucking sector will save valuable time, fuel and operating costs thanks to a new intelligent transportation system now in place in advance of the provincial highway weigh scales at Borden-Carleton, says Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Ron MacKinley.
“In the truck and transport industry, time is money,” said Minister MacKinley. “By making this investment we can continue to do the important regulatory work we do at the Borden Scales, but we can also save a lot of time for the hundreds of trucks which cross the Confederation Bridge every day.”
Pavement sensors, a fibre optic link to the provincial weigh scale facility and computerized weigh-in-motion technology allows pre-screening of individual trucks as they arrive on Prince Edward Island. The system directs only the most relevant loads to the scale house for inspection. The majority of carriers will be directed to proceed along the highway without having to stop and report to the scale.
The weigh-in-motion system uses a series of sensors to accurately determine the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight and the width of the load. It also captures licence plate information, all at normal highway speeds. The information is sent to a computer system in the scale house, and direction to report to scale or to proceed is returned to a driver via a roadside electronic message sign. Based on the current cargo mix coming into the province, the system should allow approximately seventy-five per cent of all truck traffic to bypass the scale house in Borden Carleton.
“We are very pleased with the launch of this new weigh system,” said Tyson Kelly, a Director with the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. “This will save our industry significant time and expense, and I think it will also smooth out the flow of traffic through the community of Borden, which is another benefit.”
For more information on road and bridge construction, visit www.buildpei.ca.