International Road Dynamics Inc (IRD), now a wholly owned subsidiary of Quarterhill Inc, has been awarded a C$1.95m (US$1.5m) contract to supply four Commercial Vehicle Pre-Screening Stations for the Regina Bypass project in Saskatchewan, Canada.
The Commercial Vehicle Pre-Screening Stations will be used by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (MHI) to monitor and screen commercial vehicles based on weights and dimensions. Under the contract, IRD will supply and install an integrated system using its Bending Plate weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales with license plate readers (LPR) and overview and side door image cameras. The pre-screening systems will be sited at various points along the Regina Bypass and will be remotely linked and controlled at a data management center. The Regina Bypass is a C$1.88bn (US$1.5bn) public-private partnership (P3) scheme and the largest infrastructure project in Saskatchewan’s history. The project includes 12 overpasses, 37 miles (60km) of four-lane highway, and 34 miles (55km) of new service roads.
Pre-clearance (or e-screening) is an important part of comprehensive commercial vehicle weight management programs, which reward truck operators that have a good record of compliance, while helping to identify weight violations. The systems allow agencies to better use their resources, while highway infrastructure is protected from damage due to excessive vehicle weight. Based in the province’s largest city, Saskatoon, IRD has a long history of providing the Saskatchewan MHI with truck weight monitoring systems. The company has previously deployed virtual weigh station (VWS) systems at three locations: Prince Albert, Weyburn and Carlyle. The Prince Albert location operates with single load cell (SLC) WIM scales, and the systems at Weyburn and Carlyle operate with IRD-PAT Bending Plate WIM scales, with each site able to be controlled in a real-time operative mode from a central location over an internet connection. IRD has also designed, developed, supplied and installed a remotely controlled weigh station (RCWS) at Macklin on Highway 14, along with four monitoring stations on the four highways adjacent to the inspection station.
“We are pleased to be a part of this landmark project to supply our advanced world class systems for the Regina Bypass,” said Terry Bergan, president and CEO of IRD. “The pre-screening systems will assist the Saskatchewan MHI to control over-weight commercial vehicles and preserve the highway infrastructure throughout the life of the Regina Bypass.”
