B.C. Ferries cancelled, traffic woes, as winter storm hits Metro Vancouver
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2020 20:12:52 +0000
A winter storm whipped across Metro Vancouver early Friday, causing travel woes on the roads, ferry cancellations, and the temporary closure of the Alex Fraser Bridge.
All lanes on the bridge were closed Friday morning because of falling ice but one lane northbound and two lanes southbound have since reopened.
B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation said local police closed the Alex Fraser over concerns about safe travel across the bridge. Slush had accumulated on the cable stays, and with the high winds, ice began shedding onto the bridge deck, according to the ministry.
Traffic control vehicles and personnel are on site to stage the reopening and traffic has just begun moving in the both directions, the ministry said, shortly before noon Friday.
The ministry has not said whether anyone was injured or whether cars were damaged.
However, images online show a car smashed by an ice bomb on the Port Mann Bridge, according to a tweet from News 1130. A ministry spokesperson, Sukhi Tomana, couldn’t confirm there had been damage.
Tomana said they were waiting for more information before making a statement.
Metro Vancouver’s two cable-stayed bridges, the Port Mann and the Alex Fraser have had to close down in the past because of a problem with ice and wet snow. Cable collars were installed on the Port Mann in the fall of 2013, which slide down the cables and remove snow and ice.
REMINDER – OPEN- #AlexFraserBridge is open to 1 lane northbound and 2 lanes southbound. Please drive with care and watch for crews. Expect delays.#NewWest #RichmondBC #DeltaBC
Morning sailings between Tsawwassen to Duke Point in Nanaimo and between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay in Nanaimo were cancelled because of high wind. Sailings were also cancelled between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen and the Gulf Islands, Comox to Powell River, Campbell River to Quadra Island, and to Cortes Island, and Hornby Island to Denman Island.
B.C. Ferries is reminding travellers that the adverse weather is expected to continue through the weekend and to check for any travel alerts.
Early radio traffic reports said the roads across the region were slushy and slippery, with several minor accidents on the morning commute.
In Port Moody, Guildford Way was down to one lane after a motorcycle accident. Port Moody police say a motorcyclist may have slipped on the road, but police don’t have all the details yet. The condition of the driver is unknown.
In Delta, one lane was closed because of a jackknifed semi on Highway 17, and Drive BC warned drivers to expect lengthy delays. Delta police say the driver of the semi was not injured and no other cars were involved in the accident.
Drive BC asked motorists to slow down because of the weather and slippery road conditions.
Transit users may also face delays on the commute. TransLink says there could be service disruption because of the snowy and icy weather.
The transit authority recommend budgeting extra travel time in case of extra crowding on some routes.
Due to snowy & icy weather, please dress for the elements, wear proper footwear and expect some service disruptions throughout the day. There may be extra crowding on some routes due to additional passengers & some 60’ buses will be changed to 40’ where possible. ^kv
A snowfall warning also remains in effect, with up to 25 centimetres of snow expected depending on the area.
Here's the forecast snowfall for the South Coast.
(For Metro Vancouver see previous tweet).
Stay tuned for Snowfall and Wind Warnings here: https://t.co/pnJYSMpkU4#BCStorm pic.twitter.com/rcnyDtKzlZ
The agency is predicting areas such as the North Shore, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and Maple Ridge will get 15 to 25 centimetres by late morning, while Vancouver and Burnaby could receive 10 to 15 centimetres.
First snowfall of the season, YVR 🙂 visibility down < 6km at YVR – snowfall rates to intensify downtown over the next hour or two. #BCstorm pic.twitter.com/1bKIbkRkGL
As of 9:30 a.m., more than 7,000 BC Hydro customers in Metro Vancouver are without power.
BC Hydro spokesperson Kevin Aquino says there are extra crews on standby because of the snow.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
-with a file from Jennifer Saltman
#DNVsnow crew reports all trucks have been called in to help throughout the snow this morning. Snow is expected to turn to rain today & continue into the evening. Please drive carefully & help us keep neighbourhoods safe by clearing the sidewalk in front of your home. #NorthVan pic.twitter.com/F9zMTDgfHx