Port Mann Bridge reopens after ice damages cars

Metro Vancouver's new Port Mann bridge has reopened after falling ice from the bridge's huge cables sent one man to hospital, slightly injuredanotherperson and damaged vehicles in the midst of a severe snowstorm that hit B.C.'s South Coast.

At leastone person was injured and dozens ofcars were damaged by ice falling from the suspension cables supporting the 11-lane wide span across the Fraser River east of Vancouver, forcing the RCMP to close the bridge around 1:30 p.m. PT.

"The closure was necessary because falling ice from the bridge injured a motorist, who required ambulance attendants, and damaged vehicles," said RCMPSgt Peter Thiessen.

"The bridge was closed for safety reasons, and will be reopened as soon as the weather situation improves."

Mike Proudfoot, the CEO of the Transportion Investment Corporation, which built the bridge for the province, said it was built to Canadian weather standards and the falling ice was the result of extreme weather conditions.

But NDP transportation critic Harry Bains says the falling ice raises serious questions about the design of the bridge.

"This is the first real test under this kind of weather with a $3.4-billion cost to build this bridge. Did they actually anticipate this kind of weather with this kind of cable design that we see?"

Chaos for travellers and commuters

The closure comes after snow and winter weather hit the Lower Mainlandand Vancouver Islandfor the second day in a rowWednesday, creating chaos on the roads, wreaking havoc on ferry service and public transit and leaving thousands without power.

Many streets around Metro Vancouver were closed because of falling trees and downed power lines, and drivershave beenadvised to stay off the roads unless necessary.

Some the worst driving conditions are being reported on hills that have been made slippery by rain falling on the snow, and onbridges which have been jammed with traffic.

And with the snow turning to rain late in the afternoon, municipal crews were working to clear slush from around cloggedstorm drains to prevent flooding in many areas.

In the Interior of the province, emergency crews have confirmed one person was killed aftera car skidded off the icyHighway 97 and into Wood Lake between Kelowna and Vernon.

Power outages continue

About 10,000 BC Hydro customers in Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast were without power as of 4:30 p.m. PT, including large outages in Delta, Richmond, UBC and Sechelt.

Another 11,000customers on north and central Vancouver Islandalsolost power on Wednesday including Qualicum Beach, Campbell River, Nanaimo, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Nanaimo, Port Hardy and Port Alberni.

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Firefighters in Vancouver are warning people to be extremely cautious when walking underneath large trees.

"Firefighters have responded to a number of calls today where limbs have broken off and fallen to the ground," said a statement by the Vancouver Fire Department.

Ferries resume sailing

The weather has caused problems for travellers all day across theLower Mainland and much of the SouthCoast of B.C.

High winds forced BC Ferries to cancel the majority of trips to and from Vancouver Island on Wednesday, but as of4:30 most of the routes had resumed operating. Passengers are advised to expect line-ups and delays on many routes.

The weather also caused problems for public transit routes in the region and commuters are advised to expect detours anddelays to dress for cold weather.

Because of the slippery conditions, particularly on hills, many bus routes were suspended or severely delayed, TransLink was reporting.

HandyDart has been cut back to essential service in New Westminster, Burnaby, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver and Richmond.

SkyTrain services were operating normally, TransLink reported at noon.

Many flights in and out of Vancouver International Airport have been delayedand some were cancelled on Wednesday. Passengers are advised to check the airport's website for updates.

Classes and examscancelled for the day

UBC cancelled final exams scheduled at its main campus on Wednesday. Students in the Faculty of Medicine and at the Robson Square campus are asked to check the website or call the campus for exam information. Exams that are cancelled will be rescheduled in January.

All of Vancouver's emergency cold weather sheltersare also at full capacity with 160 beds occupied, city officialsreported. All fourof the emergency shelters are low barrier, meaning they allow residents to bring pets and shopping carts inside.

Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were under snowfall advisories, with more than 20 centimetres of snow expected to fall in some areas by Thursday.

Email or tweet us your snow photos: @CBCNewsBC.