EDITORIAL – Two important words to keep in mind about the Red Bridge

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

TWO WORDS you should keep in mind when providing input on what to do about the Red Bridge — mass timber.

The Ministry of Transportation will host a pair of open houses in the next couple of weeks as well as an online feedback form. Public input will influence what happens with a replacement bridge, according to the ministry.

The first open house will be Wednesday, June 3 from 2 to 7 p.m. in Moccasin Square Gardens, and the second will be June 11 between 4 and 7 p.m. at the Sandman Centre Kia Lounge.

The feedback form will be available starting June 3 and up to June 26, online or on hard copy at one of the open houses.

The basics are going to be pretty easy. Number one, yes, the Red Bridge must be replaced. Secondly, it needs to be wider than the old one, and include lighting and a multi-use lane for pedestrians and cyclists.

Nobody’s going to argue with that. What needs to be impressed upon the ministry — and here’s where City council, our MLAs and Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc haven’t been vocal enough — is the look and construction of the new bridge.

READ ALSO: EDITORIAL – There’s a fast, cheaper, better way to replace the Red Bridge

The Red Bridge, built in 1936 to replace previous crossings, was a treasured heritage landmark of Kamloops. Much like certain structures or physical features of other cities, the Red Bridge was recognizeably Kamloops. It represented the meeting of the waters, the history of transportation of the city, and the connecting of two cultures. It appeared in photos and artistic renderings that went all over the world.

To simply throw up a concrete and iron crossing that looks like so many others would be a travesty. There’s a much more attractive option, and that option is mass timber. The Red Bridge was made of wood, and it was burned down by an arsonist. That fact might make people think building another bridge of wood wouldn’t make sense, but mass timber isn’t our grandfather’s wood construction.

Today’s mass timber is as fire proof as concrete and iron, and it’s much cheaper and faster to build. And the material and expertise are available right here in British Columbia.

The advantages of mass timber have been the subject of discussion between some in the forest products industry, as well as Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, and the ministry, so the ministry isn’t unaware of the potential. But the engineers and politicians at the provincial level need to be told that Kamloops wants a beautiful new bridge that pays homage to the old, built to modern standards and needs. Something everyone will be proud of.

That can be done with mass timber.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, writes for the Kamloops Chronicle and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and was 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.