'Unstable crane' stops traffic, closes Vancouver SkyTrain station

An "unstable crane" at a construction site near VCC-Clark SkyTrain Station prompted road closures on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (CTV News)

Vancouver police blocked traffic and the SkyTrain's Millennium Line suspended service to VCC-Clark Station due to an "unstable crane" in the area Thursday.

That's the phrase TransLink used to describe the cause of the service suspension in a post on social media.

The 84 bus route, which normally terminates at VCC-Clark, was extended to Commercial-Broadway Station due to the closure, the transit authority said, adding that the Expo and Canada lines were unaffected.

TransLink first posted about the closure at 11 a.m. By 1:30 p.m., it had announced that the affected SkyTrain line and bus route were resuming normal service. A short time later, however, the transit provider said the service suspension and bus detour had resumed.

In its own post, the Vancouver Police Department said "traffic is closed in both directions between Clark and Glen (drives), and on Keith (Drive) between E. 6th and 7th (avenues), as crews deal with a construction crane issue."

Multiple buildings are under construction in the area, which is near where Great Northern Way turns into East 6th Avenue.

The site in question appears to be 2150 Keith Dr., where a 10-storey mass-timber office building known as "The Hive" – which is slated to be ICBC's new headquarters – is under construction.

A photo from the scene shows a large piece of wood suspended from the crane and intersecting the building.

Asked for more information, the VPD told CTV News via email that "the site has been evacuated."

"No one has been injured and it is likely the load will fall safely to the street," said VPD spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin, in the email.

"But at this time, that isn’t definitive."