West Vancouver Council has approved the demolition of the 26th Street pedestrian bridge because of structural decay and safety concerns. At a council meeting on February 24, the council voted to dismantle the aging structure and explore potential funding options for a replacement.
The timber bridge spans the CN Rail tracks near Bellevue Avenue and was originally built in 1937. However, a structural inspection conducted in July 2024 revealed severe deterioration, particularly in its load-bearing components. The inspection report notes that “various timber components have sustained advanced decay and are no longer considered reliable for any loads.”
Engineers concluded that repairing the bridge was neither financially nor technically viable. It was closed to the public in August 2024.
The demolition will cost approximately $100,000 and will take about a week. Pedestrians will be permanently redirected to level crossings at 25th Street and 27th Street, located about 250 meters on either side of the former bridge. According to the staff report presented to the council, data collected before the bridge’s closure showed limited use, with only 20 to 25 pedestrians heading north and 25 to 45 heading south daily. No cyclists were recorded during the study.
Council also directed staff to assess reinstating a crossing at 26th Street, which could cost between $500,000 and $2 million. However, the report noted that space constraints, accessibility challenges, and railway design requirements could complicate future reconstruction.
I grew up in West Vancouver. My family home was at the corner of Marine Drive & 26th Street. My family used that pedestrian bridge almost daily to go for walks and down the path to the beach to swim. Will there be a replacement? Some fancy concrete structure? Who knows with this mayor and council bent on spending as much money as they can and rapidly turning West Vancouver into a pay parking lot.
Why does a simple foot bridge have to cost between $500,000 and $2 million? Honestly, WTF? Graft? Corruption? Fraud? It doesn’t have to cost that much.
West Vancouver’s mayor and council overdo and overspend on everything! Their values and ethics do not align with conservation, integrity, logic, dignity, and the unspoken respect and values of West Vancouver’s residents and past residents who, to them, is their hometown. HOMETOWN.
Shame on West Van’s current mayor and council. A charming seaside town being destroyed by council’s delusions of grandeur and contemptible decisions. A mayor and council pro-wealth and anti-charm.
I thought that West Vancouver’s mayor would be excellent, but now I wonder. I like him, but what he and his council are and have been doing – the greed and unnecessary destruction of West Vancouver as we knew it – is both shocking and concerning.
Rebuild that bridge – a bridge to the beach, a place of silence and reflection.