British Columbia

Lions Gate Bridge's infamous 'bump' to interrupt traffic one last time

Drivers hoping to cross Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge Saturday night might be blocked by the infamous "bump" one last time.

Traffic cut to a single alternating late from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to 8:30 a.m. Sunday

In August 2015, temporary metal plates on Vancouver's Lions Gate bridge causing traffic backups for a week, earning the nicknamem 'The Bump.' They were eventually replaced with a smoother transition. (Mike Mcarthur/CBC)

Drivers hoping to cross Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge Saturday night might be blocked by the infamous "bump" one last time.

In the summer of 2015, temporary steel plates were installed over the expansion joints on the south end of the bridge in order to permit rehabilitation work on the span.

But the plates quickly earned the infamous nickname, "the bump," because they caused drivers to hit their brakes in order to avoid the jarring impact.

That was enough to cause a week of traffic jams in the August heat across downtown Vancouver and the North Shore.

The original plates were eventually replaced a week later with a smoother transition, but they have remained in place until now.

Single lane overnight

It will all come to a final end Saturday night but not before one last traffic interruption while the plates are removed.

The extra layer of asphalt that was needed for a smooth transition on either side of the plates will also be removed and lane lines will be repainted.

Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge will be reduced to a single lane on Saturday night when crews remove some temporary metal plates. (Darryl Dyck/CP)

The Ministry of Transportation says traffic on the bridge will be cut to a single lane in each direction from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

Then from 10:30 p.m. until 8:30 a.m. Sunday, only one single lane of alternating traffic will be moving across the bridge deck.

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