"Pavement Buckle" on Highway 99 northbound ahead of Oak Street Bridge

There are reports of a “pavement buckle” located on the northbound Highway 99 in Richmond, ahead of the Oak Street Bridge.

News 1130 says a listener called in with details about what he saw while in a vehicle on the roadway: “It starts at about eight to 10 inches low on the grass side and comes up to grade, but it’s about five feet wide by about three feet long.”

#Vancouver Hwy 99 near Oak Br. Big Sinkhole

— James Kwan (@haida1) August 26, 2014

The Ministry of Transportation’s Drive BC division reports they are working on a “pothole repair” on Highway 99 northbound after the Bridgeport exit.

#BCHwy99 NB lane closure in effect at Bridgeport Rd due to pothole repair. Expect delays. #RichmondBC http://t.co/IJIVUdK3Wh

— Drive BC (@DriveBC) August 26, 2014

“There are suggestions a waterline underneath highway near the Cambie Road overpass may be to blame,” adds News 1130.

Drivers and those using public transit in the area can expect significant delays.

@sfarwaha They are clearing that problem, but now there’s an unrelated sinkhole on Hwy 99 affecting traffic & some Delta routes as well. ^kt

— TransLink BC (@TransLink) August 26, 2014

UPDATE: What was previously referred to as a “sinkhole” is now being called a “pavement buckle,” notes News 1130.

Culvert collapses beneath Hwy 99 just before Oak Street, creating nightmarish commute @news1130traffic #RichmondBC pic.twitter.com/eptVzG9n0l

— Martin van den Hemel (@MartinvandenH) August 26, 2014

UPDATE: BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said Tuesday in a release that the incident was a “culvert collapse.” Traffic has been reduced to a single lane and “engineers are on site conducting an assessment.”

The pavement buckle is a result of the culvert collapse, however at this time a cause for the collapse is not yet known.

RCMP traffic services are urging motorists to find an alternate route.

UPDATED: Highway 99 northbound to re-open tonight after cave-in http://t.co/m83O4V59lm

— CKNW (@CKNW) August 26, 2014

Featured image: Screenshot of Drive BC webcam at the 99 NB south of the Oak St. Bridge