Schools are closed in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows on Wednesday, Dec. 17, due to power outages.
“Most buildings are without power, resulting in no heat or internal lighting, and security shutters cannot be raised,” says the School District 42 social media. “Due to the scale of outages, significant road debris, and dangerous winds affecting the commute, we have made the difficult decision to close all sites.”
City of Maple Ridge crews have set up an operations centre to respond to a number of issues in the community. Fire Department crews were out overnight placing barricades in affected areas to support public safety.
The following road closures are currently in place due to downed power lines:
• 132 Avenue (232 Street to 224 Street)
• 112 Avenue (245 Street to Lockwood Street)
• 21144 Wicklund
• 23364 Tamarack Lane
• 115A Avenue at Kingston Street
• 130 Ave at Fern Crescent
• 22408 Fern Crescent at Park Entrance
• 11893-11901 240 Street
For latest road, facility & park closures go to MapleRidge.ca/CurrentAlerts
In Pitt Meadows Harris Road is closed in both directions from Lougheed to Old Dewdney Trunk Road, and from North Old Dewdney Trunk Road to MacNeil Road.
The intersection at Old Dewney Trunk Road and Harris Road is open for people to drive west onto Old Dewdney Trunk Road.
The cities ask the public follow posted signage and detours and adopt the four-way stop procedure if you encounter traffic signal failures at intersections. Please drive slowly in the area, as there is debris on the roads due to strong winds. Winds are expected to ease.
Be safe and give yourself extra travel time. Stay away from downed wires.
The downtown core of Maple Ridge mostly has power, but the surrounding neighbourhoods are dark. Pitt Meadows has an outage impacting most of the downtown.
BC Hydro reports indicate that 11,265 customers in Maple Ridge remain without power. Residents are asked to report outages directly to BC Hydro at bchydro.com/power-outages for updates.