Flooding causes BC Highway 99 in Richmond to shut down

Add BC Highway 99 to the growing list of major travel routes affected by flooding during a historic storm in BC.

On Monday, November 15, flooding closed BC Highway 99 northbound and southbound in Richmond between Westminster and Shell, according to Richmond RCMP.

** UPDATE ** Hwy 99 Northbound and Southbound between Westminster Hwy and Shell Rd is closed. pic.twitter.com/fK1SW2wdVX

— Richmond RCMP (@RichmondRCMP) November 15, 2021

Traffic Alert. Hwy 99 Northbound and Southbound between Westminster Hwy and Shell Rd remains closed. pic.twitter.com/O6LX3cxWmR

— Richmond RCMP (@RichmondRCMP) November 15, 2021

#BCHwy91 – SB off ramp to #BCHwy99 (Exit 23A) closed due to flooding. #RichmondBC #DeltaBC

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) November 16, 2021

An update at 1:35 pm from Richmond RCMP indicated that the road still remained closed.

CLOSED NORTHBOUND #BCHwy99 – At Westminster Highway due to flooding. Traffic is being rerouted onto Westminster Highway. Assessment in progress, no estimated time of reopening. #RichmondBC @MainroadLM

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) November 15, 2021

Drive BC also confirmed on Twitter that the highway was closed, saying traffic was being rerouted to Westminster Highway due to flooding.

They’re currently assessing the flooding and did not provide an estimated time of reopening.

Traffic was extremely congested on the morning commute and is set to add a delay to the afternoon commute.

As an atmospheric river event hit Southern BC, roads and highways have become impassable.

Near Agassiz, drivers got trapped in their cars overnight due to mudslides. In Vancouver, a lane of the Lions Gate Bridge had to partly close on Sunday due to flooding in Stanley Park.

The forecast is calling for rain all day Monday, and it’s expected to dry up heading into Tuesday. By Tuesday night, it should be clear and cold at 1°C.

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• Up to 100 vehicles trapped between mudslides on BC highway
• Major highway closures in effect as flooding, mudslides continue in BC (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
• Mudslides, flooding in Abbotsford as Emergency Operations Centre opens (VIDEO)

You can stay up to date on Environment Canada’s alerts and report severe weather by tweeting it with the hashtag # BCStorm or sending an email to [email protected].