Granville Street Bridge re-opened after being shut down to the public for more than 12 hours

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you were one of the thousands of people trying to either get in or out of Vancouver on Friday afternoon, we have an explanation for the long delays you may have faced in traffic.

Around 3:30 p.m., the Granville Street Bridge was closed in both directions due to a police situation. It re-opened at about 5 a.m. on Saturday. The crossing wasn’t just shut down to drivers, but to pedestrians and cyclists as well. That led to major back-ups on other spans in the city, on all the feeder routes and other alternate roadways like Hastings Street and Broadway.

What may have made things a little trickier was not only the fact it was rush-hour on a Friday, but there was also a Whitecaps game and concert downtown.

The police incident on the Granville Street Bridge has been resolved peacefully and the bridge is now open in both directions. — Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) April 28, 2018

Vancouver Police acknowledge and say they understand the frustration that comes with any major road closure, however, they add their number one priority is to “maintain public safety,” even if that means people having to re-route their drive for several hours.

“There are going to be situations that require our officers to restrict access to certain areas in order to create a safe environment for everyone one involved. The impact on the general public is considered in our decision making, however the safety of those directly involved and are at risk has to be our top priority,” explains VPD Constable Jason Doucette. “We recognize unplanned closures can have an impact on the general public and we are thankful for their patience.”

He says most incidents that involve a person in crisis are handled without any disruptions to the general public.

Granville Street Bridge is CLOSED. That’s causing major delays on alternate routes. More on @NEWS1130 and @NEWS1130Traffic pic.twitter.com/AxzcI4I0el — Amanda Wawryk (@AmandaWawryk) April 27, 2018

Across the region, road closures due to police negotiating with someone happens from time to time on a scale that is this large.

Earlier this week, RCMP shut down the Port Mann Bridge for a couple of hours due to a police incident.

A couple of weeks ago, the VPD taped off the area as they took a man into custody following a stand-off that lasted several hours around Hornby and Drake Streets.

Doucette says first responders try to limit how often they have to shut things down, however, he adds a “little empathy can go a long way in these situations.”

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