Drivers being warned of big delays on Lions Gate Bridge this weekend

Drivers can expect heavy traffic volumes and delays on the Lions Gate Bridge this weekend, starting at 8 pm on Saturday and lasting until 8 am on Sunday.

The delay is due to the installation of a temporary bridge cover and 13-metre approach ramps which will be constructed to allow maintenance crews to work beneath the bridge deck on the repairs to the north tower expansion joint.

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The installation requires single-lane alternating traffic, and motorists should expect delays throughout.

To allow for the work, a temporary construction bridge — a long, smooth tapered approach — is being installed and require lane closures during the following times:

• 8 am to 10 pm on Saturday, July 20, with one lane open in each direction
• 10 pm on Saturday, July 20 to 8 am on Sunday, July 21, with a single lane open to alternating traffic directions

When the temporary bridge is installed, crews will work underneath the bridge deck and primarily out of sight until October 2019.

This temporary bridge addresses a problem during similar construction work in 2015, when short-length metal plates that resembled speed bumps caused drivers to slow down, causing traffic mayhem and long delays that even caused a big surge in SeaBus ridership.

Instead, the design of the temporary bridge span over the joint is a long, smooth tapered approach to ensure motorists do not experience any bumps while driving over the bridge.

The sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists on either side of the bridge will not be impacted by the construction work.

Once installed, this temporary cover will be safe for normal driving speeds on the corridor and “drivers are encouraged to drive with the normal flow of traffic,” the province said.

The sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.

The maintenance work on the bridge – which opened in 1938 – is expected to be finished by October of this year.