2:50 p.m.
Highway 1 is now open in both directions through Coquitlam — and just in time for rush hour.
BC Hydro finished its emergency line repair within the 30-minute closure it put in place this afternoon (Oct. 27) between Brunette Avenue and Gaglardi Way.
Delays are still to be expected, DriveBC says, especially for westbound as the road has been closed since before 9:30 a.m. when heavy rain and wind downed a hydro line.
Commuters were backed up to the 152nd Street exit in Surrey — on the east side of the Port Mann Bridge — and encouraged to use the Coquitlam exit lanes or avoid the area altogether.
Those that were stuck in the congestion were diverted onto the Brunette Avenue exit and detoured along Lougheed Highway to their destination.
"BC Hydro also wants to apologize and thank drivers and commuters for their patience as crews worked to repair the downed line that closed westbound traffic on Highway 1 earlier today," said BC Hydro spokesperson Scott Mora in a statement.
"A special thanks goes out to emergency services who arrived on the scene quickly to make it safe for the public."
Power has also been restored to more than 1,200 BC Hydro customers that endured a six-hour outage as a result of the downed line.
This included most of Maillardville between Schoolhouse Street and North Road and south of Como Lake Avenue.
2:15 p.m.
Commuters are encouraged to avoid Highway 1 through Coquitlam as BC Hydro continues to work to repair the lines that were knocked down by strong winds and rain this morning (Oct. 27).
Highway 1 is now closed between Brunette Avenue and Gaglardi Way in both directions, albeit for 30 minutes for the eastbound lanes for crews to conduct emergency hydro line works, DriveBC says in an update.
Eastbound traffic will continue at 3 p.m., but westbound will remain closed and drivers will be detoured onto Brunette Avenue (Exit 40).
11:15 a.m.
A downed wire on Highway 1 through Coquitlam this morning (Oct. 27) is causing headaches at home and behind the wheel.
BC Hydro says more than 1,200 people are currently without power as a result of the incident, likely knocked down by heavy rain falling on the region.
The Tri-Cities is expected to accumulate up to 50 mm of rain by the end of today, according to Environment Canada's warning from Wednesday (Oct. 26).
"The wind and rain has brought down dozens of drought-weakened trees and branches. All available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews will continue to work around-the-clock to repair damage and restore power to customers," said BC Hydro spokesperson Scott Mora in a statement.
Westbound traffic on Highway 1 between Brunette Avenue (Exit 40) and North Road is closed, and the eastbound HOV lane is also blocked.
An assessment to safely remove and repair the hydro line is in progress, but there's no estimated time of when the highway will fully reopen as Mora adds it'll take "several hours to complete."
As of 11:15 a.m., westbound traffic is heavily congested and backed to the 152nd Street overpass in Surrey.
Commuters from the Port Mann Bridge are recommended to detour via the Coquitlam exit lanes onto the Lougheed Highway, which is also congested through Maillardville and into Burnaby as a result of Highway 1's closure.
Meanwhile, a recent update says crews on-site are expected to restore power by 3 p.m. today for BC Hydro customers in the following neighbourhoods:
- North of Capilano Way
- West of Schoolhouse Street
- East of Cariboo Road
- South of Como Lake Avenue
As well, a second Coquitlam power outage currently has 259 BC Hydro customers without power north of Millcreek Village.
This includes:
- South of Brunette Avenue
- West of Casey Street
- East of King Edward Street
While the neighbourhood is close to where the downed wire incident took place, BC Hydro website says the cause of this outage is "under investigation," as of this publication.
