HOPE – A group of concerned residents is preparing to launch a fight to save a historic bridge in the Fraser Canyon. The B.C. government has done an assessment of the 85-year-old Alexandra Bridge with results due to be released this spring. But, the group says it’s starting its campaign to save the bridge now, before it’s too late.
The scenic Alexandra Bridge spans 90 meters across the Fraser River about 40 kilometers north of Hope, and is part of the Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, a popular stop with visitors.
The bridge was built in 1926 in place of the original span that went up in 1861 and was named after Princess Alexandra of Wales. It has not been used for automobile traffic since 1964, and the concrete structure that is holding up the suspension is getting old. The bridge is deteriorating fast and its future remains uncertain.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure that maintains the bridge told Global News the government has carried out an in-depth study of the bridge, and will release the results some time in February.
At this point, however, the government says the bridge is safe.
“The bridge is not coming down. There are no plans to de-commission the bridge,” said the government spokesperson.
Terry Raymond with heritage society “New Pathways To Gold” is behind the campaign to make sure things stay this way.
He says the government has been co-operating, and they are anxiously waiting to hear the results of the assessment that, they hope, will contain plans on how to keep the bridge standing.
The campaign to save the bridge comes on the heels of the demolition of yet another local landmark.
Hope’s iconic Kawkawa Bridge, better known as the Rambo Bridge, was torn down this July.
The bridge was featured in the 1982 Sylvester Stallone flick “First Blood,” but its celebrity status didn’t help to save it.
It had to come down because its creosote-soaked timbers were purportedly causing environmental damage in the Coquihalla River.
Riley Forman, who runs a local travel web site, started a grassroots campaign to save the Rambo Bridge back in 2009.
He says it was a pain to see it go.
“We had huge support from the community. We were surprised we couldn’t save it.”
Forman says they don’t want to see the Alexandra Bridge meet the same fate.
“We want to pressure the government now into knowing that destroying is not an option. They can assess it all they want, but they should be focusing more on the cost of restoring it.”
The bridge is a provincial heritage site, but its supporters want to see it gain the status of a national historic site, hoping that will increase its chances of getting saved.
“We want the government to say we recognize it’s an important part of British Columbian and Canadian history…We want them to say – we’ll restore it, and we’ll have a 15-year or 10-year plan that keeps it on the radar, and make sure that the future generations don’t have to fight for this again,” says Forman.
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