Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: Destruction of the Red Bridge clears the way for something much, much better

Sep 20, 2024 | 12:30 PM

I WILL NOT BE SHEDDING ANY TEARS at the destruction of the Red Bridge this week.

There will be some environmental damage from the fire and the resulting material that splashed into the river below and some business owners in the Mount Paul Industrial Park will have good reason for concern.

Otherwise, no one was hurt, so good riddance.

When my wife and I first moved to Kamloops 18 years ago, we knew very little about the dos and don’ts of driving here.

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The day after we arrived, after all of our possessions were loaded into our apartment in Sahali, I went to bring the 26-foot U-Haul truck to the rental business in the Mount Paul Industrial Park.

In the days before Google Maps, I used Mapquest — and that service didn’t tell me anything about the limitations of the Red Bridge.

Suffice it to say, driving that truck over the Red Bridge was a white-knuckle experience complete with several near misses with oncoming vehicles and the side railing.

Ever since then, I have held a grudge against that decrepit bridge and avoid traversing it at all costs.

It is important that communities preserve their heritage — and the bridge had plenty of value in that sense.

This was actually the third bridge at this location, the first having been built in 1887.

It has served as a very important connection between Indigenous peoples on what is now the Tk’emlups reserve and the settler community on the south side.

But when a community decides to preserve a piece of infrastructure, heritage value has to take second priority behind safety.

Clearly, this bridge was no longer up to the task.

Let’s let it go. It’s time for a fourth version of the Red Bridge — one more suited to the demands of the 21st century and not the days of the Model T.

This should clear the way for a modern connection between Lorne Street and Mount Paul Way.

Why not an iconic, creatively designed structure that celebrates the long-standing partnership between the communities on either shore of the South Thompson?

There are ways to commemorate our shared history without pretending we still live in 1936.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.