Lions Gate Bridge bump prompts extra Seabus sailing to manage slowdown
A temporary bump on the Lions Gate Bridge has slowed, startled, and annoyed motorists
TransLink is adding an extra SeaBus to the afternoon commute to avoid congestion caused by a temporary bump on the Lions Gate Bridge that has been slowing traffic to a crawl this week.
The public transit authority has also changed the routes of buses travelling between North Vancouver and Vancouver that use the Lions Gate Bridge.
The buses are being diverted to the SeaBus terminals at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, and at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver.
The changes are to manage traffic delays in downtown Vancouver and across the city's North Shore as drivers slow to a near stop to negotiate a bump created at the southern end of the bridge by metal plates 4.5 centimetres thick.
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West Vancouver buses travelling to and from Vancouver will be operating along normal routes for the time being.
TransLink said service will return to normal Friday because work done overnight to improve the bump should decrease delays.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RiderAlert?src=hash">#RiderAlert</a> 240,241,246,247 service will not be going over Lions Gate Bridge, please utilize the SeaBus to get to & from the North Shore ^LA
—@TransLinkSeaBus carrying the load
By 8 a.m. PT on Thursday, there was a one-sailing wait for passengers taking the SeaBus from the Lonsdale into Vancouver.
"Passengers should allow extra travel time due to larger SeaBus crowds. Extra Transit Security and Transit Police will be on hand," said TransLink Media Relations Manager Cheryl Ziola in an emailed statement.
On Wednesday North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto called for TransLink to increase the number of SeaBus trips to every 10 minutes to reduce the waits.
But TransLink later tweeted on Thursday morning that was not possible because the extra SeaBus was undergoing maintenance.
<a href="https://twitter.com/Vancouver">@Vancouver</a> Really sorry, unfortunately the extra Seabus is in for mechanical maintenance and was not able to be used this morning.^jd
—@TransLinkCrews working to improve bump
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said a plan to smooth the bump will be carried out overnight Wednesday and Thursday, and should be completed by Friday morning.
"We understand the plates along the width of the highway near the south end of the Lions Gate Bridge are creating issues for travellers," wrote Public Affairs Officer Sonia Lowe in an email to CBC News. "We understand the inconvenience this has caused and want to thank travellers for their patience."
The plan is to widen the covering over the problematic metal plates by about a metre on each side, according to Lowe, and add more rubber.
The ministry said the nearly two-inch thick metal plates near the south end of the bridge are temporary, and part of ongoing bridge work. The work is expected to last about a month.
There are several overnight lane closures planned for the work on the bridge over the weekend. Drivers should check the DriveBC website for details.