HIGHWAY 30—A pair of tanker trucks loaded with sulphuric acid spent much of last Tuesday hung up on 21-Mile Hill before being helped on their way to the Neucel Specialty Cellulose plant in Port Alice.
The incident began the morning of Jan. 15, when a truck hauling a tanker with 97,000 pounds of acid got stuck on the climb up from the Marble River, partially blocking traffic. A second tanker truck, which apparently attempted to assist the stricken vehicle, then became stuck on the hill, unable to get in motion up the 13-degree grade.
With no tow trucks on the North Island large enough to haul a 97,000-pound load up the steep grade, Excel Towing of Parksville was contacted and dispatched a 1978 Kenworth industrial two truck while RCMP and traffic control services secured the highway.