Police said 40 vehicles were involved in multiple crashes on the Port Mann Bridge Thursday morning, while one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Photograph by: NOW , file
It turned out to be a particularly treacherous commute for users of the Port Mann Bridge Thursday morning, as icy conditions led to several crashes on the new span.
Police noted 40 vehicles were involved in multiple crashes on the bridge, while one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The mayhem began around 5: 30 a.m. when the bridge deck was both icy and shrouded in fog. The majority of the collisions involved westbound traffic.
Though the bridge wasn't closed, it took several hours for emergency crews to clear all the vehicles.
By mid-morning the bridge was back to normal.
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Peter Thiessen said there were a number of contributing factors beyond road and weather conditions.
"It would certainly be safe to say people need to be aware of their speed based on assessing the road conditions and, sometimes with black ice, once you come upon it, it's too late," he told The NOW.
There are no charges being considered against any drivers involved in the crashes.
According to the Vancouver Sun, Mainroad Contracting, which is responsible for sanding the Port Mann, would not comment Thursday. Spokeswoman Niki Taylor said the company had been instructed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure not to speak with media. It was reported Thursday that Transportation Investment Corp., which operates the bridge, said the crossing had not been sufficiently de-iced before the commute.
The new bridge, which had a full opening at the beginning of December, came under scrutiny after a snowfall a couple of weeks back led to "slush bombs" falling from the top of the structure.
Roughly 250 claims of damage have been filed to ICBC since the slush bomb incident on Dec. 20.
