Fraser River bridge in Metro Vancouver closed after vessel collision | Daily Hive

Damage to the Westham Island Bridge following a marine vessel collision on Jan. 20, 2026. (Dylan Kruger)

The Westham Island Bridge is temporarily closed until further notice due to an “incident involving a marine vessel,” according to TransLink.

The incident occurred Tuesday evening at the crossing across the south arm of the Fraser River to reach Westham Island, which is a rural island in the Ladner area on the westernmost side of Delta. It is home to major farm businesses, some residents, and a wildlife conservation area.

Although this is a small bridge, it is a critical piece of infrastructure as it is the only fixed road connection between this island and the mainland.

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TransLink has indicated that crews are inspecting the bridge. As of Wednesday evening, the bridge remained closed to vehicles, and the public transit authority noted that the crossing will remain closed at least through Thursday and Friday.

Pedestrian access remains open at this time. TransLink is operating a free shuttle bus between the eastern end of the bridge and Ladner bus exchange, with the bus running daily from 6 a.m. to midnight to serve residents who have crossed the bridge on foot.

There is no estimate for how long it will take to repair and reopen the bridge.

Delta city councillor Dylan Kruger told Daily Hive Urbanized a marine vessel collided with the bridge. He says the vessel involved was a tug boat towing a large barge.

The incident and resulting closure to vehicles prompted the City of Delta to open its emergency operations centre, with municipal staff subsequently notifying emergency services and residents.

westham island bridge damage jan 20 2026

Damage to the Westham Island Bridge following a marine vessel collision on Jan. 20, 2026. (Dylan Kruger)

Location of Westham Island Bridge. (Google Maps)

The 1910-built crossing is a single-lane, wood-deck truss bridge spanning a length of 325 metres and a height of 4.4 metres above the river. A steel swing span in the middle of the bridge opens up as much as eight times a day to enable marine traffic to pass through.

In addition to its age, the bridge has low clearances for marine vessels, cannot support the weight of semi-trucks needed to better serve the island’s farming businesses, and lacks dedicated pedestrian and cycling pathways. Its swing-span mechanism can freeze and seize during sub-zero temperatures, requiring marine traffic to take lengthy detours until temperatures warm up.

Westham Island Bridge. (Stefan Malloch/Shutterstock)

Westham Island Bridge. (Josef Hanus/Shutterstock)

The bridge is one of the Fraser River’s lesser-known crossings and is owned and operated by TransLink.

In December 2025, Daily Hive Urbanized reported TransLink is in the early stages of planning a new replacement bridge due to the existing crossing’s age, deficiencies, vulnerabilities, and condition.

Ongoing maintenance to keep the bridge safe and its swing-span mechanism operational can only go so far for a wooden structure that was originally designed to last 60 years, but is now 115 years old.

Westham Island Bridge. (Google Maps)

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Editor’s note: This article, originally published on Tuesday evening, was updated on Wednesday evening with additional information from TransLink and the City of Delta.