Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 29/99) - A misjudgment of the road on Highway 3 near Rae-Edzo could have caused a more serious accident than it did when a truck hauling ammonium nitrate went off the road Tuesday morning and toppled on its side.

The truck, containing 39,000 kilograms of the chemical, was on its way to Bulk Explosives in Yellowknife. Although the chemical itself is not flammable, it is dangerous due to it being a strong oxidizer. It heats and could possibly ignite if it comes in contact with combustibles such as organic material (wood, paper, cloth and leather).

Ammonium nitrate is also a fertilizer which will biodegrade when in water and will not evaporate significantly in soil.

The RCMP officers who attended the accident scene inspected the unit carefully for any leaks but fortunately the unit had not sustained much damage.

"There was none spilled and no leaks," said Cpl. Mark Wharton of the Rae detachment. "The driver and I walked around (the truck) several times looking."

The truck and tanker unit, owned by Trimac Transportation Services Inc. in Calgary, had gone off the road when the driver pulled over to the shoulder to let a truck carrying a wide load pass about 12 kilometres from the Rae access road.

Cpl. Wharton said the driver, who had started a fresh run after switching places with the passenger in Fort Providence, misjudged the shoulder.

"The road conditions were good and the weather conditions were clear and visible," said Cpl. Wharton.

"You know how you can't see where the shoulder is, well that's what happened. He went about six inches too far off the shoulder. He couldn't judge the shoulder."

Members from the Department of Transportation's highway operations were also called to the scene.

Mike Elgie, district superintendent North of the highway operations division said the road was not to blame for the accident.

"There was a bit of snow on the shoulders ... about an inch. We are not at fault. The driver pulled too far over." Neither the passenger or the driver were injured.

The unit did not pose a problem to traffic flow as it was in the ditch and was removed by Robinson's Trucking of Yellowknife on Wednesday.