RCMP block access to University Way at Foothills Boulevard.- photo  250News

Prince George, B.C.- University Way in Prince George is closed, and will remain closed for several hours,  until  a bomb disposal unit has safely disposed of an  explosive device found near the  bridge on that  roadway.

RCMP media Liaison, Corporal Craig Douglass says  Prince George RCMP   got a call  shortly after midnight about a possible  explosive device on the roadway.

" Basically, it  was reported as a 'shots fired' call.  The caller reported hearing a bang,  somewhere between the CN Centre and the Univeristy. Officers attended the scene and  confirmed the  item  is an  explosive  device.  The officers then  moved back a safe distance and secured the area."

Cpl. Douglass says  the bomb disposal  unit  has been contacted, and is expected to arrive from the lower mainland later this morning.  

University Way  will remain closed until the  device has been  safely removed.  

In the meantime, all traffic to the University of Northern B.C. is being re-routed to Tyner Boulevard.

Further details on the explosive device will be released later today.  

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Update:

Corporal Craig Douglass says  it isn't known yet if the "bang" heard by people in the area was  from this device, or from  another that exploded.

PG Transit has had to make some  changes to its regular service  that  would normally  use University Way.  James Vine of Pacific Western Bus Service ( which operates  the  transit buses in Prince George) says  the "#15" buses  are running -[assengers to the base of University Way,  where   passengers will then board another bus that will shuttle  them to the Univesity via Tyner Boulevard.  Anyone wanting to get to the University from the Spruceland  bus stop, should board #88, which will  then  drop passengers off at  the shuttle point.

"It's important for riders to know  the  frequency of service will not be  the normal 15 minutes this morning" says Vine,  "But once the normal  morning rush is over (around10:30) we expect the schedule will  be back on  track."

Vine says  he expects service to be back to normal  this afternoon.