Two men from Washington State have been arrested after climbing the Lions Gate Bridge and backing up traffic for a photo-op Thursday morning.

Vancouver police said motorists heading across the Lions Gate Bridge around 8:30 a.m. called 9-1-1 after seeing a man wearing a headlamp and large backpack, climbing over the railing and pulling himself up the guy-wires to about 50 to 70 feet up the bridge deck.

When police arrived on the scene, they could not see the man from the bridge deck. High-angle rescue specialists from the Emergency Response Team were sent out to search the enclosed pathways and guy-wire systems on the bridge.

“Not only was this a huge inconvenience to the people that live, work, and visit downtown today on the Lions Gate Bridge, it was dangerous for these drivers because we had drivers looking up, looking for these people because they were concerned for their safety,” said Cst. Jason Doucette.

Story continues below advertisement

Eyoalha Baker, who witnessed the incident and captured the moment, was going for a walk across the Lions Gate Bridge when she saw a pair of legs dangling from one of the towers of the structure.

“I was thinking it must be a beautiful view from up there, and I even said to the police I don’t blame them for wanting to go up there, it looks amazing.”

The two men, who are in their mid-20s, were taken into police custody and their camera equipment was seized, after they were seen scaling down the guy-wires to the bridge deck.

READ MORE: West Vancouver Police impound Ferrari clocked at 210 km/h on Lions Gate Bridge

Police are recommending charges.

Story continues below advertisement

This isn’t the first time the Lions Gate Bridge has been shut down due to someone attempting to climb the structure. In January, the bridge was closed for more than an hour after a climber forced police to shut it down. The Global One chopper captured the person walking along the suspension cables and swinging a coat.

WATCH: Climber on Lions Gate Bridge shuts down traffic

0:53 Climber on Lions Gate Bridge shuts down traffic Climber on Lions Gate Bridge shuts down traffic

With files from Matt Lee, CKNW