Vehicle fire blocks Queensborough Bridge southbound lanes, delays build

Southbound lanes on the queensborough bridge were blocked Friday afternoon after callers reported a smoking car just before 2 p.m. Traffic was held both ways until 3:15 p.m.

Heavy delays were expected on the crossing leaving New Westminster and Burnaby. The closest alternate route is the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge, where planned maintenance has already cut southbound traffic to one lane.

Queensborough Bridge delays

The blockage started with a vehicle fire and spread into a wider traffic hold on a route used to leave both New Westminster and Burnaby. That left drivers with one practical option named in the traffic report, while the alternate bridge was already narrowed by maintenance.

Callers to 1130NewsRadio first reported seeing the smoking car just before 2 p.m. By 3:15 p.m., traffic on the Queensborough Bridge was no longer blocked in both directions.

stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge lane limits

The stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge sits closest to the Queensborough Bridge in this traffic disruption, but southbound traffic there is down to one lane because of planned maintenance. That leaves drivers trying to leave New Westminster and Burnaby with limited room to reroute when the Queensborough Bridge slows.

For drivers headed south, the immediate practical question is not whether the bridge fire caused delays; it did. The question is how much time the detour will add when the nearest alternate route is already reduced.