Highway 99 collision cleared after Friday night snowfall

Snow blanketedthe South Coast Friday, creating problems on roads across the region and prompting several universities to cancel classes for the afternoon.

Flurriesstarted in Metro Vancouver, Whistler and the Fraser Valley, as well as on the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Islandshortly before 9 a.m. and piled up quickly.

Sea to Sky Highway reopens after collision

During the evening rush hour, a collision atCulliton Creek Bridge and Highway 99 closed the Sea to Sky between Squamish and Whistler.

Lanes were blocked and detours were not available, but the road fully reopened after 11 p.m. Friday.

Snowfall warnings are in effect for:

• Metro Vancouver
• Howe Sound (Sea to Sky)
• Sunshine Coast
• Fraser Valley

Flurries turn Tsawwassen into a snow globe

7 years ago

Duration 0:44

Snowfall hit much of the Lower Mainland on Friday, blanketing the region in white.

Snowfall amountswill vary, with up to 20 centimetres expected at higher elevations.

• Details on the snow warnings here

DriveBC reporteddozens of problems on Metro Vancouver roads throughout the day butblockedlanes on Highway 1 and 91 have been cleared for the evening commute as the snow turnsto flurries in several areas in the region.

Delays due to congestion can be expected on major routes.

• Details on road incidents and delaysfrom DriveBC

Public Transit delays

Conditions on the roads have causedbus routes to shut down athigher elevations including North and West Vancouver, and service is limited in the area ofSFUandBurnabyMountain.

TransLinksays trains are running with minimal delays with proactive measures being taken such asde-icerspray onSkyTrainlines and heat tracing on the Canada Line railsto keep the tracksfree of ice and snow build up.

TheSeaBusand West Coast Express trainsarealso operating regularly.

TransLinkmedia spokesperson Chris Bryan said staff will be on the Millenniumand Expo Line trains to assist riders and watch for track intrusions triggered by heavy snow or ice falling on the rails.

HandiDARTis operating ata limited capacity with essential service only for customers with renal dialysis or cancer treatment appointments.

Forecast

Environment Canada meteorologist Cindy Yusaid "there will be delays [on the road] no matter what."

"Our temperatures are fluctuating around the freezing mark so the roads will be slippery," she added.

Yu said there will be a break from the snow Friday evening, but it will pick up again overnight.

"If you do shovel this evening, don't be surprised to wake up to more snow especially if you are slightly more inland," Yu said.

Drivers are being warned to expect delays and slow down.

Vancouver International Airport is seeing "significant" weather conditions with a number of delays and cancellations. Passengers are being told tocheck flight informationbefore they leave home.

School closures

School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast) said all public schools in the area would be closed Friday.

Several school districts were already closed Friday for Pro-Ddays, including:

• Abbotsford
• Chilliwack
• Coquitlam
• Delta
• Langley
• New Westminster
• North Vancouver
• Richmond

Vancouver Community College, Simon Fraser University, Douglas College, Emily Carr University andBCIT have also cancelled classes for Friday afternoon.

Vancouver preparations

The City of Vancouver says crewshadbeen brining and salting many streets all week in preparation for the weather weather.

Taryn Scollard, the city's director of streets, said "all available trucks" were clearing the roads by 1 p.m.

"We also pull crews from other departments, such as water and sewer construction crews, to help support salting and snow removal and sidewalks and bus stops," she said.

The city said warming shelters at Britannia, West End and Carnegie community centres will remain open through the weekend.

Give salt trucks space: city

Other municipalities across the region were also bracing for the snow. In Surrey, all of the city's 62 snow plows and trucks were on the road by sunrise.

"We hit the whole city," said Ray Kerr, Surrey's engineering manager. "If we findone part of the city gets more snow than the other, we move our resources accordingly."

Kerr called on drivers to give plows space they need to keep roads clear.

"I think the biggest challenge the plow drivers have is that drivers of vehicles around them don't give them enough room to do the work they have to do ... vehicles tend to forget how much room they need."