Our community’s love-hate relationship with the Red Bridge

Every time I drive across the Red Bridge, I wonder whether I’ll emerge on the other end with both mirrors intact. All drivers, I think, have a love-hate relationship with that bridge — we love its oldness, we hate its narrowness.

Yesterday, I was privileged to take part in a small ceremony at the bridge to mark a project of the Heritage Commission and the Communities In Bloom Committee aimed at drawing attention to the heritage importance of the bridge. I was asked to be there because, while I was mayor, I promoted the idea of heritage designation for the Red Bridge.

That was eventually accomplished, but the two groups want to take it a step further by creating an informational spot at the Lorne Street end that will include a kiosk explaining the bridge’s history. For now, there’s a small planted area and a plaque, which we unveiled at the ceremony (it’s been awhile since I’ve been asked to unveil a plaque).

Many people might not know that this is the third Red Bridge in that spot. The first was built in 1887; this one was built in 1937, and had a projected lifespan of 30 years. How wrong they were; 75 years later it’s still standing and in full use. Engineers constantly talk about how it has only a few years of useful life left, yet it’s still there.

I was also asked to say a few words at the ceremony, so I noted the above, and also pointed out that structures other than buildings often have heritage importance as well.

At home, we have a silk-screen print by the great regional artist Steve Mennie, called Bridges, which he did in 1999. It features the CN bridge and the Red Bridge. When Art Charbonneau was B.C.’s transportation minister, I wrote about my disappointment when the old wooden decking of the Red Bridge was removed and replaced with ashphalt.

It made practical sense, because the wood decking would wear down and had to be replaced every year, but I lamented the rosion of its historic look. Art sent me over a piece of the wood decking as a souvenir. I still have it at home, where I can now not only look at the bridge via the Mennie print any time I want, but reach out and touch a piece of it.

Colleen Stainton told me after the ceremony she researched the naming of the bridge and found out it’s not called the Red Bridge based on its paint job. All bridges of its type came to be known as Red Bridges due to the colour of fir used in their construction, she says.

Congratulations to the Heritage Commission and CIB for taking on the job of raising awareness of the importance of the bridge.