Arthur Laing Bridge reopens after barge hit causes hours of disruption

The Arthur Laing Bridge reopened after an overnight barge strike, restoring traffic flow following several hours of disruption in Richmond, British Columbia. According to Richmond RCMP, the incident occurred at 12:38 AM on February 13, 2026, when police received a call reporting that a barge had crashed into the bridge. As a precaution, all northbound and southbound traffic was initially blocked while authorities assessed the structure.

In an update issued later the same day, Richmond RCMP confirmed that northbound traffic has fully reopened, while southbound traffic was temporarily limited to one lane near the midspan during repairs.



The bridge, which is owned by the Vancouver Airport Authority, was cleared after repair work was completed. In a post on X, YVR stated:

“Repair work has been completed on the Arthur Laing Bridge following an incident early this morning. All lanes are now open to vehicle traffic.”


Authorities had earlier advised motorists to make alternative travel arrangements while inspections were underway. A couple weeks earlier, the Westlam Bridge was also hit by a vessel.