New technology will be implemented on Highway 5A that monitors commercial vehicles and improves safety for drivers and residents close to the route.

Weigh-in-motion and automatic vehicle-identification systems will monitor commercial vehicles at highway speeds using sensors built in and above the highway. The sensors will measure real-time safety and vehicle data, such as weight, height, and tire conditions.  This data will then be compared against enforced standards.

Commercial vehicle data will be relayed directly to mobile Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers in the area, enabling more efficient intervention and enforcement of safety standards. Information will be gathered on all commercial vehicles that pass through, regardless of their enrollment status in the Weigh2Go program.

Highway 5A is an important alternative route for the trucking industry as the higher elevations make the Coquihalla Highway more susceptible to extreme weather conditions.

This new system is located approximately three kilometres north of Merritt and will be the first exclusively virtual system in the province. Construction is expected to begin in late spring and be completed in the fall.

*Image courtesy of Government of BC