New Westminster, B.C.’s mayor and council have given an early green light to a three-day farewell party on the aging Pattullo Bridge, with an amended motion on the bash passing Monday night.
If the event goes ahead, New Westminster would like the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and TransLink to host the party with input from the city, in order to minimize the strain on municipal staff and resources.
The council would also like to see a separate memorial or day of remembrance held to honour those who have lost their lives on the Pattullo Bridge, which connects New Westminster and Surrey.
“The Pattullo Bridge is not a nice memory for everybody,” Coun. Jaimie McEvoy said Monday, noting that it’s considered the second-worst for suicides in the Lower Mainland after the Lions Gate Bridge, and has been the site of multiple deadly vehicle accidents.
“I do know people, personally have spoken to people, who would like some kind of opportunity before the bridge is gone to have their own more sombre time.”
Mayor Patrick Johnstone said the bridge has a “complicated legacy” in New Westminster. He will now write a letter to TransLink and the ministry gauging their interest in both a memorial event and a three-day celebration that would see it closed to vehicles to make way for food trucks, pedestrians, cyclists and entertainment.
“It’s not our land so it’s hard for us to say we’re going to hold a party without inviting them,” Johnstone told Global News on Tuesday. “We’ve got a year to figure those kinds of (planning) details out, but I think the first thing we have to do is connect with our partners.”
The Ministry of Transportation deferred a request for comment on the proposed events to TransLink, which owns the Pattullo Bridge.
“TransLink is focused on ensuring the existing bridge is well-maintained, reliable, and safe for all commuters,” said TransLink spokesperson Thor Diakow in an emailed statement.
“Options for any potential celebration will be considered closer to the transition date.”
The party was originally proposed by Coun. Daniel Fontaine, whose original vision was to have the celebration over a three-day weekend once the Pattullo Bridge replacement opens in 2024, giving the public a chance to bid farewell to the Pattullo before it’s taken apart. The bridge opened in 1937 and Fontaine described it as an “iconic part of the city of New Westminster’s history.”
“There are many people who love it and there are many people who loathe it,” he told fellow councillors on Monday night.
“I think it would be a great opportunity for us, if that bridge were closed down and decommissioned, to allow the public an opportunity to walk across it, cycle, take their scooter … to be able to experience the views of the Fraser River.”
He called the day of remembrance a “wonderful addition” to his original motion.
The $1.4-billion replacement for the Pattullo Bridge is already under construction.
It will include much-needed upgrades, including protected walking and cycling lanes, better connections to, from and near the bridge, and a safer pathway for those crossing the bridge. It will also be built with two in-river piers, instead of the current six, to ease the project’s impact on the ecosystem.
The existing Pattullo Bridge will remain open until its replacement is ready, then taken apart and removed.