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Lower Mainland struggles through snowy morning commute

Megan Devlin
Megan Devlin
|
Jan 17 2024, 3:46 pm
Lower Mainland struggles through snowy morning commute
Daily Hive

Mother Nature dumped snow on the Lower Mainland overnight, making roads slick for commuters Wednesday morning.

The Fraser Valley saw heavy snow, and DriveBC said Highway 1 was slow through the area after a semi hit a barricade on the westbound offramp to Vedder Road. Footage from Chilliwack Wednesday morning showed blowing snow at the Annacis road overpass.

Later in the morning, authorities closed Whatcom Road and No. 3 Road exit ramps on highway one because of spun out vehicles and bad conditions.

Over in North Vancouver, DriveBC is asking travellers to be careful due to a stalled vehicle that’s blocking the right lane near Mountain Highway.

Here in Vancouver, the centre lane of the Lions Gate Bridge is closed due to icy conditions.

“Several travel advisories remain in effect throughout the Lower Mainland, with snow expected to continue until this afternoon,” DriveBC said. “Motorists are reminded to reduce speeds, maintain a safe distance, and refrain from passing winter maintenance vehicles.”

Google Traffic also shows congestion for the region, with Highway 91 through Richmond looking particularly slow.

traffic

Google Traffic

Transit users are also having a tough time getting where they need to be, with several buses already detouring and TransLink warning customers that transit service will be impacted with delays and cancellations due to the weather.

The transit provider has swapped out its 60-foot buses for more nimble 40-foot buses, and warns SkyTrain service will be slower than normal.

Some residents expressed surprise at the amount of snow that fell overnight, even in areas close to the water.

One resident in South Vancouver shared an image measuring 14.5 centimetres of snow at his home.

Another weather-watcher in Coquitlam measured 14 centimetres of snow, too.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad vibes. A group of construction workers who successfully made it to work in Vancouver were seen having an early-morning snowball fight.

The City of Vancouver and the provincial government warned drivers to stay home, so roads could be kept clear for snow removal efforts.

This is the second time in two weeks Metro Vancouver roads have turned into a snowy mess, with 2 cm that fell on Thursday causing a 160% spike in collision claims through the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC).

There was uncertainty ahead of the storm about whether much of the precipitation would fall as snow, rain, or freezing rain, and it turned out that snow certainly came down.

Metro Vancouver remains under a snowfall warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada, with accumulations of 10 to 20 centimetres expected in the Lower Mainland.

Wet weather is forecast to stick around through early next week, though it may change to rain as temperatures warm.

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