Section of Charles Street West reopens to traffic after crash

After weeks of repairs, a stretch of Charles Street West in downtown Kitchener has reopened to traffic.

The road was closed on May 31 after a garbage truck with its boom raised drove into the overpass of the former Manulife building, damaging the overhead walkway and causing debris to fall down onto the road.

Police respond to Charles Street West in Kitchener on May 31, 2023 where a garbage truck took out part of a pedestrian overpass. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

Police say no one was hurt in the crash and an engineer determined there was no structural damage to the walkway.

Two weeks later, traffic is finally flowing normally on Charles Street again.

The region says the road reopened on Tuesday, June 13.

ION trains continued to run and pedestrians were permitted to walk on the sidewalk during the closure.

One person who lives nearby says he heard the crash when it happened.

“You had a heck of a time getting around the city the first day that it happened,” the resident said. “There was a lot of people who did [u-turns] when they got to that thing. It disrupted quite a bit of traffic here.”

A makeshift sign seen at the Charles Street West pedestrian overpass on June 15, 2023 serves as a warning to drivers in larger vehicles. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)

He says despite the hassle, he didn’t mind waiting for the road to reopen.

“The structural integrity had to be looked at and things like that, they had to do what they had to do to make it safe again so I had no problem with it.”

As of Thursday morning, there were few signs the crash ever happened at the walkway – except a makeshift sign posted overhead.

It reads: “Max height 4.35 metres/14 feet, 3 inches”

The 52-year-old driver involved in the May 31 crash was later charged with careless driving.