Highway 99 closed in Richmond due to heavy flooding, BC Ferries cancels sailings

It’s a traffic mess on most routes Monday, including Highway 99 in Richmond where it is blocked both ways between Westminster Highway and Shell Road.

Traffic was backed up all the way to the George Massey Tunnel at the height of the morning commute, and many said there were other areas with heavy flooding which slowed them down significantly.

10:20 – #Abbotsford – Photo courtesy @AbbyPoliceDept of #BCHwy11 damage due to the #BCStorm. Traffic is shutdown on Hwy 11 both ways from Clayburn Road to McCallum Road until further notice #1130Traffic @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/TLW7GXQxcy

— Ryan Lidemark ???? ????️ (@RyanLmark) November 15, 2021

Calling it a “snow day with rain,” the people in charge of maintaining the roads in Metro Vancouver are scrambling to keep up with localized flooding throughout the region.

Mainroad Contracting’s General Manager, Darren Ell, says they knew the storm was on its way but are limited in what they can actually do to keep the flooding in check.

“We get out there and patrol the roads and make sure all the culverts are cleaned out and not obstructed by leaves and debris… unfortunately with the amount of rain it’s impossible to keep up with the volume,” he said Monday morning.

BC Ferries cancellations

The stormy weather has led to the cancellation of a couple of BC Ferries sailings between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

The 10:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. sailings from Tsawwassen to Duke Point have been cancelled. The 12:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. sailings in the other direction have also been cancelled.

The Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route is running about two hours behind schedule.

#BCFHeadsUp
Due to the extreme winds along the coast, service on the following routes have been affected:

Tsawwassen – Duke Point
Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay
Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay

Travel advisory: https://t.co/bacqLxbBuF
Routes at a glance: https://t.co/dSXsk3ylub pic.twitter.com/4wNw3ma29R

— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) November 16, 2021

“Every effort will be made to accommodate bookings on the next available sailing,” BC Ferries said in a statement. “If we are unable to accommodate, bookings will be cancelled and fully refunded. Travel will revert to standby basis.”

“We don’t take the decision to cancel sailings lightly,” it said, adding service will resume when it is safe to do so.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports.

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