The weekend fire that took the Pattullo Bridge out of service means thousands of commuters are scrambling to find different routes over the Fraser River.
There are calls for a temporary rule change to ease the congestion of the snaking lines of cars -- by opening the HOV lanes on the highways in the area.
The closure of the bridge adds 80 minutes to Brad Routledge's daily commute.
We're only two days into this, but it is a gong-show," he said. "It was pretty frustrating. I borrowed the girlfriend's dog to ease a little bit of the stress, had her hanging out the window, so that was alright."
He would like to see the HOV lanes opened.
Many motorists are already using the HOV lanes illegally - by driving only themselves in lanes meant for cars with passengers.
"That HOV is totally underutilized, you've got back-up of traffic and people stopping and going and ultimately polluting the environment," said Routledge.
TransLink admits it is still a mess out there, with other bridges being over worked.
But when CTV News asked if opening the HOV lanes to everyone the company was not convinced.
"I'm not so sure that would provide the benefit people think it would," said TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast.
Highways minister Kevin Falcon agreed, not least because he said it was important to reward car pools and to open up highway space for emergency vehicles.
In the meantime, construction crews worked around the clock to clear the burnt section of the Pattullo Bridge, which special clothing being worn to avoid asbestos contamination.
The bulk of the damaged bridge was gone by mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
With reports from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander and Julia Foy.
