Driver of flipped semi-trailer arrested on drunk driving charges
Crash at north end of the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge wreaked havoc with morning traffic
The driver who flipped his semi-trailer on the north end of the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge Friday morning has been arrested and charged with impaired driving and driving while prohibited.
The incident damaged the Fern Street overpass over Highway 1 and snarled traffic on the major roadway for hours.
Police say the 47-year-old Surrey resident was taken to hospital but is not seriously hurt .
The highway has now reopened.
Photos shared by North Vancouver RCMP show the semi lying on its side underneath the overpass at the bottom of the cut, with much of its load spilled.
Police say the driver went off the road and hit the overpass support structure at around 4 a.m. PT.
Westbound lanes of Highway 1 were closed for the morning rush hour causing a backup all the way to Coquitlam.
Crews had to clean up a significant amount of wreckage, including a large fuel spill on the highway, and engineers were brought in to ensure the structural integrity of the overpass.
The site of the crash and the area around it has been undergoing major reconstruction for over a year.
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