'Windborne debris' forces closure of Lions Gate Bridge

A piece of "windborne debris" became entangled on part of the Lions Gate Bridge Monday and forced the complete closure of the route for about an hour, according to officials.

Just after noon, DriveBC tweeted a photo of the large, metal object which appears to have folded itself around one of the light bridges. The centre lane was closed immediately and a full closure of the bridge followed shortly thereafter.

In an update, DriveBC said a worker was removing the debris using a shovel and that the bridge was expected to reopen quickly.

Soon after that, officials announced that the metal had been removed and "dragged off."

The photos posted online show a piece of corrugated metal that appears to be at least the length of a car.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said there is no indication that a vehicle struck the gantry, noting that damage was limited to just one of the signals.

"It appears that the metal was the roof of a commercial vehicle that became dislodged and blew up and onto the gantry. This was an extremely unusual occurrence, and fortunately no one was hurt," an email to CTV News said.

"Crews are on site to determine the extent of the repair needed."

The province's Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement team is trying to contact the operator of the vehicle, the statement added.

The incident comes as a special weather statement is in effect due to a storm that is anticipated to bring significant winds to the region. 

UPDATE - #BCHwy99 - #LionsGateBridge will be open momentarily as the windborne debris is 'dragged' off of the bridge deck after becoming entangled with one of our #LGB light bridges.

Thank you #ConeZoneBC personnel for the quick removal. #LionsGateBridge to open momentarily https://t.co/xRTeUQ241K pic.twitter.com/450rj0PNrw

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) September 25, 2023