A busy bridge connecting Vancouver to the North Shore was closed for hours as a police crisis response team dealt with a distraught man on the bridge.

The Lions Gate Bridge was closed from around 7:30 a.m. until noon Friday as negotiators spoke to the man. He was eventually "apprehended," Vancouver police say. Officers have provided few details but CTV News has learned he was acting erratically, and in the end, a Taser was deployed and he was taken away in an ambulance.

The bridge was reopened by 12:10 p.m., but not before the gridlock caused by the closure spread for blocks through downtown Vancouver and sprawled for kilometres along the North Shore.

Some bus passengers and other travellers were stuck mid-span during the incident, while others had to find alternate ways to work.

The Second Narrows Bridge became the alternative for drivers, which led to traffic mayhem spreading east for kilometres along Highway 1.

Those who opted to take transit faced long lines at the SeaBus terminals. Applause broke out when passengers were finally able to leave the North Shore and head downtown.

As the Lions Gate has several times in the past, the key artery became a choke point for hours, prompting some to question whether the region should consider another crossing.

It's a question CTV News heard several times from those affected by Friday morning's bridge closure.

"I think future planning is always important, so if there's congestion at this point, in the future you can only expect it to be more," one woman said.

The Ministry of Transportation said it has done work to improve traffic flow in the area, but, "at this time, there are no plans to explore a third crossing between the North Shore and Vancouver."

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos