Metro Vancouver's newest megamall opened Wednesday morning, drawing a crowd so large that traffic delays were reported in Tsawwassen.

The 1.2-million-square-foot shopping mall, called Tsawwassen Mills, is home to 180 stores. Built on First Nations land on Canoe Pass Way, the mall is only five kilometres from the ferry terminal and one of the last stops on the highway toward the docks.

The mall's opening drew crowds to the lot across from Tsawwassen Springs Golf, with some shoppers arriving as early as 2:30 a.m. to get a good spot in line.

"We slept in the car last night," one shopper told CTV Vancouver, adding that she got up at 4 a.m.

"We don't have anything else to do – might as well," another eager shopper said.

Some drove in from other parts of Metro Vancouver, while others commuted from the Fraser Valley.

"It's exciting. In Mission, we have nothing, so this is the closest thing for us," a woman in line said.

Those who woke up early or camped out in the parking lot were given $50 gift cards to spend when the mall opened at 10 a.m.

The mall's opening weekend is expected to draw similar crowds, prompting the province's Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to issue a warning.

"The new shopping mall is expected to generate increased traffic to this already busy area," a statement said.

"There will be traffic control personnel on site helping to control traffic flow from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11."

Shortly before noon on Wednesday, CTV's Sheila Scott reported that there were already traffic delays on Highway 17, and with the long weekend approaching, there will be an increase in people passing through the area travelling to or from the ferries.

BC Ferries is anticipating its traffic will be heavier than usual over the Thanksgiving weekend, and has added an additional 56 sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11.

The mall is offering a free shuttle providing roundtrip transportation between Tsawwassen Mills and the ferry terminal.

Although the mall is expected to be busy in its first week, it may face some challenges getting customers to come back.

Other than the ferry shuttle, there are not many public transit options for shoppers hoping to visit the property.

"It's going to be very difficult for a huge portion to go down there," retail analyst Raymond Shoolman said.

"They'll have no problem with Surrey or Langley and Abbotsford, but as for the rest, it's going to be tough… They may get people to go once or twice, but will they go back? Will they make the trip?"

The mall is already having a hard time attracting employees, and has to run shuttles from the SkyTrain to get workers to and from the property.

To show the challenges the mall faces attracting customers who rely on transit, CTV News ran a few simulations through Google Maps.

For a shopper leaving at 10 a.m. on a Thursday from downtown Vancouver, the fastest route on public transportation takes more than 70 minutes, and involves about 20 minutes of walking. Driving, it would take between 30 minutes and an hour.

Leaving at the same time from Surrey Central, the trek takes about 30 minutes by car (if there is little to no traffic), but would take an hour and a half on the shortest transit route.

But a shopper leaving from Mission, as one did this morning, would spend more than three hours on transit. During the trip, they would have to transfer at least three times to make the 80-kilometre trip east.

Leaving at a different time could add two hours to the trip, each way. Driving, it takes about an hour and a half, depending on traffic.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott