Damaged Westham Island Bridge repairs begin, necessitating weeks-long closure | Daily Hive

Damaged Westham Island Bridge repairs begin, necessitating weeks-long closure to pedestrians

Damaged Westham Island Bridge closed to vehicles. (City of Delta)

Pedestrian access to the Westham Island Bridge will be fully shut down for several weeks starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, as crews work to perform repairs to the significantly damaged structure in a safe and expedited manner. The full closure to vehicles, now extended to pedestrians as well, will remain in effect until further notice.

In a bulletin today, TransLink states the decision follows strong feedback from the farming community, with residents making it clear that restoring the bridge as quickly as possible is the top priority — even if it means a full short-term disruption. The full closure to pedestrians will allow construction crews to work continuously without frequent stops, helping to shorten the overall repair timeline.

TransLink notes that while some days may appear quiet, important work will still be happening on or around the bridge. For safety reasons, pedestrian access will remain closed throughout the entire repair period, even if crossing might seem possible at times.

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To maintain access to and from Westham Island, a 24/7 water taxi service will be in place during the closure. The service will operate between 4888 Savage Rd. on Westham Island and Wellington Point Park in Ladner in Delta on the mainland. Travel time is expected to be about 10 to 15 minutes each way, depending on tides, with departures every 30 minutes. Overnight service will be available on call between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Repair work will also include pile driving, which is expected to be loud. The City of Delta has amended its noise bylaws to allow construction to take place overnight if needed. Pile driving is scheduled to start Wednesday morning and will occur intermittently as work progresses, with timing dependent on site and river conditions.

TransLink cautions that the project is complex and that conditions may change quickly, leading to short-notice impacts. More precise timelines will be shared as the next phase of work advances, and additional community requests are still under review.

Last week, TransLink shared that following detailed inspections, the 1910-built wooden crossing between the farming community of Westham Island and Ladner was severely damaged by the marine vessel collision — a tug boat towing a large barge — on Jan. 20. The repairs necessitate temporarily lifting a section of the bridge to access and repair the damaged area, replacing damaged piles and beams, and reconnecting a critical pier to the bridge structure. Currently, the bridge has been knocked out of alignment.

Today, the City of Delta also announced it has lifted Westham Island’s boil water advisory in effect since Jan. 23, after inspections on the damaged bridge found a leak in the water main directly below the bridge. The municipal government has now confirmed that the leak occurred due to the vessel strike, with the water main now fully repaired and operational.

Yesterday, the Government of British Columbia announced it is providing supplemental funding support for TransLink’s operation of providing an emergency barge service between Westham Island and Delta to ensure farm produce and commercial vehicles can still access the mainland.

Prior to the incident, TransLink was already in the early stages of planning to build a new replacement bridge, given the age and deteriorating condition of the structure, and its known vulnerabilities.

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