No damage to Vancouver’s bridges after earthquake, city confirms

False Creek and the Cambie Street Bridge are seen from Chopper 9 above Vancouver in June 2019. (Pete Cline / CTV News Vancouver)

Assessments of Vancouver’s bridges and viaducts have been completed after an earthquake rattled B.C.’s South Coast on Friday, the city confirmed.

In an update Sunday, the city said there were “no concerns” related to the quake, which registered at a magnitude of 4.7

The seismic event originated on the Sunshine Coast just before 1:30 p.m., and while people across southwestern B.C. felt the shaking, there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Read more: Aftershocks expected after strong earthquake on B.C.’s South Coast

The City of Vancouver immediately initiated what it called a “level 1 response” under its earthquake plan, which included bridge inspections by structural engineering consultants.

BC Ferries also evacuated the Horseshoe Bay Terminal to inspect its infrastructure, but operations returned to normal shortly later.

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There wouldn’t be any significant damage expected in Vancouver from Friday’s quake, especially to newer buildings, said Tony Yang, a professor of structural and earthquake engineering at the University of British Columbia.

However, he says the event serves as an important reminder to be prepared for an inevitable major earthquake in the region.

“In Vancouver, we’re in one of the most seismically active regions in the world,” he told CTV News Friday. Specifically, B.C. is situated in the “Pacific Rim of Fire” where earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher can and do occur.

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“Ensuring our infrastructure is safe in an earthquake is a responsibility for everybody, the government, the owners,” he said. Yang pointed to ongoing investments including seismically upgrading elementary and high schools in the province, and toward developing new earthquake technology at universities.

Last month, Vancouver city council approved a $35-million budget increase to seismically upgrade the Cambie Bridge, after phase 1 of construction on the project was completed in 2022.