All lanes on the Alex Fraser Bridge should be open by the afternoon rush hour, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The bridge was completely closed by police for about an hour earlier today due to weather and safety concerns, according to the ministry, before reopening one lane northbound and two southbound.
The bridge was shut down around 10:30 a.m. this morning. According to the ministry, slush accumulated on the bridge's cable stays and high winds caused the slush to shed onto the bridge deck.
The high winds also prevented technicians from safely deploying cable collars on the bridge, according to the ministry.
Our staff and maintenance crews have been closely monitoring onsite at both the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges throughout the night and today. High winds this morning prevented our rope access technicians from safely deploying the cable collars on the Alex Fraser Bridge.
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) January 10, 2020
Slush and ice was also falling from cables on the Port Mann Bridge today.
"The outlook for the remainder of the day is that there is currently very little accumulation on the cables of both bridges," said the ministry in a statement this afternoon.
The ministry also said it is aware of reports to ICBC about windshield damage caused by falling ice, and said it will be investigating the "combination of conditions that may have contributed to this occuring."
Traffic control, ministry staff and RCMP were on scene at the Alex Fraser to deal with the issue.
OPEN- #AlexFraserBridge is open to 1 lane northbound and 2 lanes southbound. Please drive with care and watch for crews. Expect delays.#NewWest #RichmondBC #DeltaBC
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) January 10, 2020
.@deltapolice One lane reopening Alex Fraser Bridge, for each direction. Police remain on scene. Ongoing assessment in progress. Expect delays.
— Delta Police Traffic Unit (@DPDTraffic) January 10, 2020
