Hours regs waived for wildfire relief haulers in western Canada | I-15, I-95 closures upcoming

Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023:

Wildfires prompt HOS exemptions in Canada

Wildfires in western Canada have prompted Transport Canada to grant temporary hours of service waivers for truckers hauling essential goods into affected areas through the end of September.

Two exemptions are in effect -- one for Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and one for British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

The purpose of the exemptions is to “support efforts by extra-provincial truck undertakings and their drivers to transport essential supplies and equipment, in direct assistance to the emergency relief efforts in response to the wildfires” in the four regions.

Drivers and carriers based outside the affected provinces and territories utilizing the exemptions are required, prior to operating under the exemption, to notify in writing the provincial hours of service director of the base jurisdiction of their intention to operate under the exemption. They also must provide to the director documentation containing these data points:

• The commercial vehicles that are to be operated
• The license plate numbers of those vehicles and the province of issuance
• The names of drivers who will operate the commercial vehicles
• The drivers’ driving license numbers and province of issuance

Full requirements for operating under the exemptions can be found here for Alberta and Northwest Territories, and here for British Columbia and Yukon.

[Related: Greyhound smashes three parked trucks: HOS/parking shortage to blame?]

I-15 lane closures planned this weekend

The southbound lanes of I-15 north of the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl will be adjusted this coming weekend for an upcoming paving project.

The Nevada Department of Transportation said work will take place between 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, and 5 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27.

On I-15 Southbound, lane tapers will begin north of Lake Mead Boulevard with one lane of the interstate open between the Washington Avenue off-ramp and the U.S. 95 bridge.

There will also be several ramp closures in the area, including:

• Eastbound Lake Mead Boulevard to southbound I-15 on-ramp
• Southbound I-15 off-ramp to Washington Avenue
• D Street on-ramp to southbound I-15

Some surface lane street closures will also be in effect. The right lane of eastbound Washington Avenue between D Street and I-15 will be closed, along with the right lane of both the northbound and southbound sides of D Street between Washington Avenue and I-15. Additionally, the southbound collector-distributor road between Washington Avenue and D Street will be closed.

I-95 lane closures planned for next four weekends

Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation will begin a series of four consecutive weekend lane closures on I-95 near Route 10/Exit 33 at the Cranston/Providence line for replacement of the Wellington Avenue Bridge. 

Travelers should expect delays and use alternate routes such as Route 10 and I-295 on these weekends, RIDOT said.

Each weekend, lanes will be closed on both sides of the interstate as RIDOT demolishes and replaces different parts of this structurally deficient bridge. The closures will start each weekend at 8 p.m. on Fridays with all lanes open by 5 a.m. Monday morning. RIDOT will keep at least two lanes open on the side of the bridge being worked on each weekend.

For brief periods of time, for the week of Aug. 28 for I-95 South and the week of Sept. 11 for I-95 North, there will be a lane split with two lanes on either side of the work zone. Drivers should not stop or suddenly change lanes at the split. This unsafe behavior will cause traffic delays and could lead to a crash, the department said.

The schedule for the bridge replacement and traffic impacts is as follows:

• Aug. 25-28: The two left lanes on I-95 South and the left lane on I-95 North will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, August 25. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, August 28.
• Aug. 28 to Sept. 1: There will be a lane split on I-95 South near Route 10 in Cranston, with two lanes on either side of the split. All lanes go through.
• Sept. 1-4: The two right lanes on I-95 South and the left lane on I-95 North will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, September 1. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, September 4.
• Sept. 8-11: The two left lanes on I-95 North and the left lane on I-95 South will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, September 8. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, September 11.
• Sept. 11-15: There will be a lane split on I-95 North near Route 10 in Cranston, with two lanes on either side of the split. All lanes go through.
• Sept. 15-18: The two right lanes on I-95 North and the left lane on I-95 South will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, September 15. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, September 18.

This rapid approach to bridge replacement saves motorists more than two years of lane closures, shifts and splits, RIDOT said.

[Related: Ongoing I-10 EB lane closures in Louisiana]

Love’s beginning annual Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign

Love’s Travel Stops’ annual fundraising campaign for Children's Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals runs from Aug. 25 through Sept. 29 and will benefit 116 CMN Hospitals across the U.S.

Customers have a variety of ways to donate. At Love’s Travel Stops, Country Stores and Speedco locations, they can purchase a $1, $5 or $20 balloon, round up their change or make a cash contribution. At Love’s hotels, teddy bears can be purchased for $19.99, and for National Coffee Day on Friday, Sept. 29, customers can purchase any sized coffee or hot beverage for $1 through the Love’s Connect app and all proceeds will go to CMN Hospitals.

Musket Corp. and Trillium Energy Solutions, both part of Love’s Family of Companies, will also participate in the fundraising efforts by hosting their annual sponsorship-led Drive for a Child event in October at Topgolf Houston benefiting Texas Children's Hospital. 

Donations collected allow CMN Hospitals to help every child receive the best possible care, no matter life’s circumstances. Love’s was named CMN Hospitals’ U.S. Corporate Partner of the Year for its efforts in 2022.

CMN Hospitals raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments annually to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund hospitals in each community. Love’s and CMN Hospitals have partnered since 1999 to raise $46 million.

[Related: Love’s sets new record with $4.3M donation to children’s hospitals]

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