Commuters were met with extreme delays Tuesday evening (Nov. 29) after the Lower Mainland saw its first snowfall of the winter season – leaving many in a lurch.
At 8:40 p.m., Drive BC was reporting delays along several major routes in Surrey, Langley and Vancouver. Due to a number of vehicle incidents, the Alex Fraser Bridge was closed in both directions.
In the Port Kells area, acccess to the Golden Ears connector and Highway 1 was met with standstill traffic due to vehicles getting stuck on the steep hill along Highway 15.
Bus loop exchange at Surrey Central looks closed off as I saw orange pylons there.
Still absolutely chaotic here.
Buses are stuck and aren't going anywhere.#BCStorm #SurreyBC #Snowstorm pic.twitter.com/jC4b9dUCl5
— ReaktorField (@reaktor_field) November 30, 2022
Vancouver roads right now. #BCSnow pic.twitter.com/0K7myXy2bt
— Karm Sumal (@KarmSumal) November 30, 2022
Out for 1.5 hours on the road this evening with great snow tires but the roads in Langley and Surrey have not been touched by any snow removal. Spin outs everywhere, 200th northbound closed, buses stuck, etc. Crazy.
— Lorraine Baldwin 🇨🇦 (@L__Baldwin) November 30, 2022
Good 5 inches of snow in Surrey. Lower Mainland snowstorm, Vancouver snowstorm #BCStorm #BCSnow #SurreyBC #Vancouver #snow #wintertime pic.twitter.com/2G8uxejfss
— Abhaysidhu (@Abhaysidhu45) November 30, 2022
My partner has been stuck in an uber for almost 5 hours trying to get from New West to Delta – absolutely insane out there.
— JASMEET (@jxsangha) November 30, 2022
A snowfall warning is in effect across the Lower Mainland.
As of 3:30 p.m. Environment Canada forecast the heaviest snowfall in North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, with 10 to 20 centimetres expected and as much as 25 cm over higher terrain.
For the city of Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Delta, Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford, 10 to 15 cm of snow was expected. For Chilliwack and Hope, 20 to 25 cm of snow was anticipated from this evening to Wednesday evening.
“On Wednesday morning, strong southwest winds will mix down wind gusts in the 40 to 70 km/h range. This may cause snow-covered tree branches to break and possible power outages,” the warning read.
The City of Surrey has a snow plow tracker on their website.
Commutes impacted Tuesday:
- Alex Fraser Bridge closed in both directions as of 8:40 p.m.
- Lions Gate Bridge centre lane closed overnight due to weather conditions.
- Hwy 99 southbound offramp to Sea Island Way in Richmond closed due to poor conditions.
This accident happened on 160th St between 28th and 30th Ave in South Surrey on Tuesday Nov. 29.(Video from Erica Kreeft/ Facebook)
A vehicle driving slowly down a side street in Langley on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Photo: Anna Burns)
A vehicle driving down a snow-covered road in Langley on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Photo: Anna Burns)
Due to the snowstorm this afternoon dozens of vehicles were stranded on the Northbound lanes of the bridge for several hours as crews worked to plow and salt the bridge deck including several transit busses and semi-trucks. Eventually, Main Road crews were able to get several trucks onto the bridge and began freeing up some of the stuck vehicles. (Photo: Shane MacKichan)
Due to the snowstorm this afternoon dozens of vehicles were stranded on the Northbound lanes of the bridge for several hours as crews worked to plow and salt the bridge deck including several transit busses and semi-trucks. Eventually, Main Road crews were able to get several trucks onto the bridge and began freeing up some of the stuck vehicles. (Photo: Shane MacKichan)
“Started at 3pm from UBC, still at work and still on road before tunnel, no sign of going home tonight… not liking this snow anymore. All roads leading to Surrey or Vancouver are jammed. Anybody else who’s stuck like me???” stated Preeti Walia in a Facebook post.
Someone built a snowperson in the median on the Alex Fraser Bridge during the evening commute on Nov. 29, 2022. Some travellers were stuck for more than two hours during the first winter snowstorm of the season. (Marty Chapman Facebook photo)
