Crews remove old Pattullo Bridge's iconic arch intact in a feat of engineering

The old Pattullo Bridge has lost its most recognizable feature, with its orange steel arch — a product of the Great Depression period — now removed and lowered onto barges on the Fraser River.

The Thanksgiving long weekend operation left a large gap between the remaining sections of the crossing, marking one of the most visible milestones in the gradual dismantling of the 1937-built bridge between Surrey and New Westminster.

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The skyline of this part of the Fraser River changed considerably overnight.

Carefully dismantling such a large section of the bridge in a single piece was an engineering feat in its own right.

Sparks cascaded from the steel structure as crews separated the central span from the rest of the bridge. The giant arch then rested on supports aboard barges, far below its former position above the river.

After significant preparation, the cutting and lowering process began on Saturday evening, Oct. 10, and continued overnight, concluding on Sunday, Oct. 11.

The provincial government’s project office had scheduled the removal for Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, with the operation expected to take approximately 48 to 60 hours.

The removal plan called for four large strand jacks — specialized hydraulic winching systems — to carefully lower the steel arch onto the barges.

Beforehand, crews removed concrete components to reduce the structure’s weight and installed temporary bracing and beams to support it during the lowering process.

The operation also required a temporary closure of the river’s main navigation channel, which was scheduled to last from the evening of Oct. 9 to the evening of Oct. 11.

Under the project’s removal plan, tugboats would move the barges carrying the arch to a nearby project trestle. The steel is destined for further dismantling and recycling.

The arch’s removal comes about eight months after demolition began in February 2026, following the full transfer of vehicle traffic to the adjacent newly-built stal̕əw̓asəm/Riverview Bridge.

Early demolition work focused on the old bridge’s land-based sections in Surrey and New Westminster. Their removal was necessary to complete the new crossing’s final connections to the surrounding road network, which opened late this past summer. They include the new off-ramp from the new bridge’s eastbound direction to Highway 17’s westbound direction in Surrey, and the new replacement ramp connecting Columbia Street’s westbound direction to the new bridge’s eastbound direction in New Westminster.

The new bridge’s shared pedestrian and cycling pathway along its west side also depends on the removal of portions of the old crossing. It is expected to open later this fall.

Although the arch is now down, substantial work remains before the old bridge disappears entirely. Crews still need to dismantle the remaining structures, including the piers and foundations in the river, with the overall deconstruction project expected to finish by the end of 2027.

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