B.C. road report: Expect delays, officials say in advisory about winter operations

Climbers rescued from snowy B.C. mountain Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue helped the climbers who were stranded in Golden Ears Park.

Another blast of winter weather may impact B.C. drivers as they pass through parts of the province.

Snowfall warnings are in effect Wednesday across a wide swath of B.C., from Dease Lake in the north to the Fraser Valley in the south, and from the western coastline in to the McGregor area near the Alberta border.

Elsewhere, including in Metro Vancouver and on parts of Vancouver Island, special weather advisories suggest possible accumulation of two to five centimetres of snow. Further inland, some spots in the Lower Mainland could see up to 10 centimetres.

The Pacific frontal system passing over B.C.'s South Coast is expected to dump most of the snow in the afternoon and evening, so there may be impacts to the commute home.

Because of the changing weather, drivers are being warned to be ready to adjust to the conditions.

Snow had just started to fall when the provincial Ministry of Transportation reported the HOV lanes of the Port Mann Bridge, on Highway 1 between Surrey and Coquitlam, have been closed in both directions due to "winter operations."

Since that time, the eastbound HOV lane has reopened. Still, those who take the route are told to watch for crews and expect delays.

An accident in the westbound HOV lane before the bridge prompted another warning from officials about congestion, though it cleared shortly after 4:30 p.m.

Further east on the Trans-Canada Highway, another section was closed for avalanche control work on Wednesday. The ministry did not expect the work between Hemlock Grove Boardwalk and the Rogers Pass Summit to take too long.

An incident on Highway 7B, in the Mary Hill Bypass area at Pitt River Road, was blocking the right lane, causing delays during the evening commute.

Highway 97 was closed in both directions for some time near West Kelowna, but the ministry said that closure was due to a collision. It is unclear whether the weather played a factor.

Another incident on the same highway near Stoner reduced traffic to a single lane in alternating directions, and eventually the highway was closed in both directions.

Monitor DriveBC on Twitter for the latest updates.