Truck rollover closes Island road

M’Chigeeng Chief Joseph Hare said the crane will be checked for damage and another may be sent up. The crane may delay work on the windmill for two days, but Hare still expects the project to be built in around two weeks, if not less.

“They’re bringing in another crane, they’ll probably use this one … (the project) will be delayed for two days, that’s the extent of the delay,” Hare said, adding that the crash happened because of Rockville’s winding road.

” To get to the site of the windmills, turbines and the towers, there’s kind of a bit of a winding road, a back road in the area of the township of Rockville … The truck driver didn’t negotiate the turn, and so his truck and the load he was carrying kind of went into the ditch and tipped over and spilled the load.”

Around 20 truckloads of materials are being sent for the project.

“It takes one truck to transport one blade, we have six blades … and there’s other parts, the tower and so on,” Hare said.

According to police, the driver was not hurt, but was charged with careless driving. Police did not release his name.

The Ministry of the Environment was notified of the crash because oil was leaking from the tractor unit, OPP said.

For Hare, the windmill project is an important one.

“The main reason is that it’s going to generate an income for our community. We have purchased an agreement (that was) signed by the Ontario Power Authority whereby they buy the power we produce,” he said, explaining that this is a 20-year agreement.

The road will be closed today from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Bidwell Road at Rockville Road as larger equipment is used to remove the crane, OPP said.