One traffic lane closed on Lions Gate Bridge Saturday and Sunday morning

Attention shoppers – and anyone else planning to go back and forth across North Shore bridges this weekend.

The Lions Gate Bridge will have one lane closed to traffic for six hours on both Saturday and Sunday Dec. 16 and 17 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., along with one lane of the Stanley Park Causeway.

One lane will remain open each way during the closures, but the Ministry of Transportation is warning of possible delays and transit changes.

Drivers should consider using the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing as an alternative, the ministry said.

The bridge and Stanley Park causeway lanes are being closed as the parks board begins an urgent project to take out trees damaged by a hemlock looper moth infestation.

According to the parks board, the infestation has damaged many trees in Stanley Park including western hemlock, Douglas fir and grand fir.

“A significant portion of the park is affected, particularly near Lions Gate Bridge,” the parks board states on its website. “This outbreak also affects parts of West and North Vancouver, where many trees are dying.”

Recent droughts have also weakened the trees.

The parks board is removing the trees to mitigate public safety and wildfire risks.

This weekend’s lane closure on the Lions Gate Bridge is the one of several that drivers will have to grapple with over the next six weeks. One lane will also be closed Jan. 13, 14, 21 and 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A full closure of the bridge and Stanley Park causeway is also planned for Jan. 28 from 8 to 11 a.m.