Downed power lines close major Metro Vancouver routes in windstorm

Oct 27 2022, 9:37 pm

High winds in Metro Vancouver knocked down power lines around the region, and some major roadways closed because of the electrical hazards.

Highway 1 was closed through Coquitlam while BC Hydro completed repairs to power lines, the Ministry of Transportation said in a news release just before 2:30 pm.

highway 1 closed

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“A full closure of Highway 1 is necessary on Thursday afternoon for BC Hydro crews to safely repair lines that came down during this morning’s strong winds,” the ministry said. “The duration of the full closure is undetermined, but crews are working as quickly as possible.”

The highway reopened around 3 pm, but drivers were advised to expect delays.

Over in Richmond, Bridgeport Road was closed between Viking Way and No. 6 Road because of downed hydro lines, according to Richmond RCMP.

Officers diverted traffic until BC Hydro crews arrived.

Thousands of customers were without power because of the storm, according to BC Hydro’s outage map. As of 2:30 pm, 2,300 Lower Mainland customers had lost power — down from about 4,000 an hour earlier.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for wind gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour in addition to a rainfall warning. The winds are forecast to calm down by Thursday evening.

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