Traffic incident leads to major delay on ferry route

A traffic incident on Highway 17 in Delta has led to significant delays on one BC Ferries route out of Tsawwassen.

At around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a vehicle incident at Ladner Trunk Road led to closures and congestion. 

#BCHwy17 - Vehicle incident has closed the WB lanes at #BCHwy99. #BCHwy99 NB exit to #BCHwy17 WB is also closed. No estimated opening at this time, use alternate route. #DeltaBC

— Drive BC (@DriveBC) July 17, 2019

The incident was clear at around 10:30, but BC Ferries told passengers that its vessel, Salish Orca, was expecting a fuel truck that was trapped in the traffic. 

The Salish Orca is travelling between Tsawwassen and the Southern Gulf Islands and left 50 minutes late for its 10:10 a.m. departure. 

#ServiceNotice #Tsawwassen - #SouthernGulfIslands #SalishOrca is operating 50 mins behind schedule due to a traffic accident that delayed the arrival of the fuel truck. You can find more info here: https://t.co/qiMnczoNE9 ^js

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) July 17, 2019

"We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience as a result of this sailing delay," said BC Ferries in a statement.

Things appeared to have returned to normal by 8 p.m. with little to no wait times on most routes.