EDITORIAL – Doubts about building a new Red Bridge must be removed

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

TALK IS CHEAP. After the Red Bridge was burned down by an unknown arsonist last September 19, politicians were quick to reassure everyone that it would be replaced.

The Provincial government, City council and Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc would hit the ground running to get a replacement, we were told. “Yes, absolutely, we’re going to be replacing that bridge,” said Premier David Eby.

There are several good reasons for this. The Red Bridge was a quick route between downtown Kamloops and the Mount Paul Industrial Park, where a lot of city and regional business gets done. It’s an alternative access to the Yellowhead Highway and the North Thompson Valley. It’s also an important cultural link between Kamloops and the Band. Besides the practical reasons, the bridge was a big piece of Kamloops’ identity.

People either loved or hated that bridge. They loved it for its history, they loved it for the feel of squeezing their vehicles across its narrow span. There was something special about its wooden pillars and trusses.

Others hated its oldness, the awkwardness of the drive on its bumpy deck. Everybody had an opinion about it, good or bad. But there’s no question it served an important purpose in the commerce and identity of Kamloops.

So after its tragic loss, politicians at all levels immediately talked about a replacement. It would, of course, take time. A year, maybe a year and a half to get a plan together and begin construction. In the meantime, the wreckage would have to be removed from the river.

The cleanup work is almost done; it’s expected that Pioneer Park will be reopened to full public use very soon. Yet, as the months have passed, the certainty of a new Red Bridge — or whatever the new structure would be called — began to fade. There are rumours that the Province, City and Band can’t agree on who will pay for it and how much they will pay, and whether federal funding can be obtained for part of the cost. Suddenly, there’s no rush; there’s not even a guarantee a new crossing will be built at all.

Now, says the Transportation Ministry, which owned the Red Bridge, there’s no specific timeline and no certainty. Studies must be done, consultation carried out, and so on.

Maybe it should be no surprise that bureaucracy has taken over. Bureaucracies have their own way of doing things, slowly.

But there’s a solution staring the problem in the face, one that came up in the immediate aftermath of the devastating fire. It would be faster and cheaper to build than the characterless concrete and steel things seen on our roadways and in our communities these days.

It’s called mass timber construction, and it was explained right here at the time. It could exactly replicate the heritage aspects of the old Red Bridge while being built to modern standards, including, of course, being stronger with a wider deck. And mass timber, the materials for which are available right here in B.C., has a fire rating equivalent to concrete and steel.

The thought also comes to mind that Donald Trump’s tariff on steel could dramatically boost the cost of using it for transportation construction in the coming few years because, while Canada manufactures a lot of steel, it has to send it to the U.S. to be made into I-beams and such. Mass timber would avoid the problem.

The Red Bridge must be replaced. Creating a heritage-style structure that reminds us of the community’s history, and is faster and cheaper to build, makes total sense.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.