Upper Levels highway closed for hours after false report of bomb in vehicle

The Upper Levels highway between the Westview and Lynn Valley exits in North Vancouver was closed for about eight hours Tuesday night as police responded to a report of an explosive device inside a vehicle.

The incident began shortly after 7:30 p.m. with a traffic accident on Highway 1 near Lonsdale Avenue, the result a driver in medical distress, according to Sgt. Peter DeVries of the North Vancouver RCMP.

When officers attended, that person later told police there was an explosive device in his vehicle.

@NEWS1130Traffic incident soon after it happened. pic.twitter.com/v7mYThmj8Y

— Gary Moore (@gmcarp99) July 28, 2021

A section of the highway was shut down and an RCMP explosives unit was called in, who examined the vehicle and determined there was no bomb, said DeVries.

The driver who made the comment was taken to hospital and the highway reopened at about 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.

DeVries said no charges are being considered at this time.

#NorthVan traffic alert: traffic on Hwy 1 is closed in both directions between the Lynn Valley exit and the Westview exit due to a police incident. Please use alternate routes and plan accordingly. Will remain closed for at least 2 more hours. pic.twitter.com/95rrEg1qYS

— North Vancouver RCMP (@nvanrcmp) July 28, 2021