Wagon-dragging B.C. islanders face weeks without vehicle bridge, knocked askew by tug

DELTA — When Abby Collier heard that the only bridge connecting Westham Island to Delta and the Metro Vancouver mainland had been damaged by a boat strike last week, she assumed it would be closed for a few days.

After all, it had happened before and the small island community of mostly farmers where she’s lived for 15 years had always managed.

Then, days later, the community of about 130 households learned they would also be under a boil water advisory after a leak was discovered in the water main under the bridge.

“I would say initially we weren’t concerned, and then we were very concerned,” Collier said.

More than a week after the wood-deck single-lane truss bridge was damaged by a tugboat on Jan. 20, residents say they are worried for themselves and their neighbours, but focused on taking care of each other. Officials say it will be several weeks before a fix is in place.

Collier was standing on the Delta side of the bridge on Wednesday. Residents walk about 325 metres over the bridge to get in or out of the island after the structure was deemed unsafe for vehicle traffic.

“I was (originally) thinking, ‘oh we’ve had this before, the bridge will be out for a couple of days,’ but then we realize it’s going to be months.”

People crossing the bridge pulled wagons provided by the City of Delta, stuffed with necessities like groceries and jerry cans of gas, as crews paced the structure in high-visibility vests, planning their next steps.

There are signs the community is preparing to be without the lifeline for a while.

Crews have cleared an area next to the bridge to make room for more parking. The local provincial legislator is offering his office as a location for parcel pickup, since delivery trucks can’t make it over the bridge.

The City of Delta says Canada Post will be resuming mail service using a small barge.

A representative for TransLink — the transit authority that owns the 113-year-old bridge — was on the Delta side handing out Tim Hortons coffee.

Multiple barges with room for a few cars each make the trip across the Fraser River everyday, and TransLink has set up shuttle buses and temporary bus stops on either side, including to the local elementary school.

The tug Quadrant Partner struck the bridge on Jan. 20 and the crash is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board.

TransLink spokesman Thor Diakow said one of the bridge’s primary support structures was severely impacted in the collision.

“So this basically shifted parts of the bridge out of alignment. And when you’re on the bridge deck currently, you can actually see that it’s not in a completely closed position. It’s slightly askew,” he said.

It also damaged the bearing that connects the bridge deck to the pier and Diakow said officials don’t know for sure yet how long it will take to bring in the specialized team required to fix everything.

He said he didn’t have an estimate for how much the repairs will cost or when the bridge will be open to vehicles again.

“It will be a number of weeks, several weeks, and we’re in constant communication with the residents of Westham Island,” he said.

“We understand that they want firm timelines, but we just want to make sure that we have dates and plans for repair that we can stand behind.

Diakow said TransLink was working on plans to replace the bridge altogether before it was struck, but any project like that is years away and the priority right now is to repair the existing structure.

“We have a firm right now that’s working on design options for a new bridge. For other funding to actually build this bridge, we would have to work with funding partners and that’s what we’ll be focusing on in our 2027 investment plan,” he said.

Errol Sherley has lived on the island for 46 years, and called the situation a “very large inconvenience that I did not need.”

He pulled multiple carts, teetering with groceries over the bridge.

“It basically threw off my entire way of life. I like my routine. My whole routine’s been shot,” he said.

Sherley said the community is a resilient one in difficult times.

“It’s a farming community so if something breaks, we fix it. If something happens, we deal with it. We just do it and we do what we have to do. We don’t waste time fiddle-farting around.”

Collier said she is concerned for her neighbours, particularly those who farm, if the closure stretches on.

“The farmers, they need to get produce off the island. Right now they need get seed potatoes on and soil. There won’t be a crop next year. And people think, ‘oh it’s winter,’ but there won’t be a crop if they don’t get the ground prepared now,” she said.

A statement from the City of Delta said officials met with local farmers and arranged for barge services to help with the transport of farm goods and personal and commercial vehicles.

Collier said a community meeting held by TransLink earlier in the week was a chance for everyone to check in on each other.

“More of it was about seeing our neighbours and everyone was kind of looking (and asking), ‘Are you OK?’ And having a chat,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026