After decades of a silver paint job, the iconic Orange Bridge of Port Alberni is about to be orange again.
The “Orange Bridge,” or Riverbend Bridge, crosses the Somass River at Highway 4 and Falls Street, right where the Tseshaht Administration Building sits on the shoreline.
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Crews began power washing the bridge early Monday, Sept. 26, reducing traffic to one lane over the bridge while work was in progress. Crews are scheduled to do a walk-around the bridge starting at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 and painting will take place afterwards. Drivers can expect delays until 4:30 p.m.
The new orange-based paint scheme comes at the request of residential school survivors, the Tseshaht First Nation stated. Tseshaht officials worked with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Mainroad Contracting to incorporate orange into the former Orange Bridge, which has been silver for decades. The orange scheme will honour survivors and those that did not make it home.
susie.quinn@albernivalleynews.com
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