CN has recently installed a red stop sign with an accompanying ‘X’ on top where a spur line crosses the Morice River Forest Service Road near Monster Industries.
“The track crossing this road was recently restored back in to service and, therefore, it has been decided to add a stop sign to increase the safety at this crossing,” a brief statement from CN indicated last week.
The track section is to become busier early in the new year when pipe for Coastal GasLink’s natural gas pipeline starts arriving from a fabrication plant in Saskatchewan.
The pipe will be stored on property leased by Coastal GasLink from West Point Rail and Timber in preparation for the start of construction next year of its natural gas pipeline from northeastern B.C. to the LNG Canada liqueified natural gas plant now underway at Kitimat.
“We anticipate deliveries to the Houston rail siding early next year,” said Coastal GasLink official Suzanne Wilton last week.
“Schedules and haul routes have not yet been finalized. Safety is of utmost importance and the pipe hauler is required to have a traffic management plan in place to ensure the safety of the traveling public and minimize potential traffic disruptions,” she said.
“We will be in a better position to speak to specifics once the schedules are finalized,” Wilton added.
The statement from CN emphasized that “safety is a core value.”
Both the District of Houston and Canfor, which has responsbility for maintenance of the road, were contacted by CN in preparation for the installation of the stop sign.
A lit sign board was placed on the road before the crossing to give drivers advance warning.