Old Pattullo Bridge arches to come down within 60 hours this Thanksgiving weekend | Daily Hive

Demolition progress on the old Pattullo Bridge, as seen on Aug. 11, 2026. (Government of B.C.)

Some of the most visible changes yet in the careful, lengthy deconstruction process of the old Pattullo Bridge will unfold over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

According to the provincial government’s project office, work to dismantle the bridge’s arches will begin on Friday, Oct. 9, and conclude on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.

The removal will take away some of the bridge’s most recognizable features over a span of approximately 48 hours to 60 hours. Demolition of the old crossing began in February 2026, after vehicle traffic fully shifted to the new stal̕əw̓asəm/Riverview Bridge.

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Completed in 1937 during the Great Depression, the old Pattullo Bridge has carried generations of commuters across the Fraser River, and its condition shows the weight of that history. Rivets, beams, and joints revealed the craftsmanship of another era, but also the limits of a design never meant to serve modern traffic volumes for so long. Back then, the vehicles were also far smaller.

Four large strand jacks — specialized hydraulic winching systems — will lower the steel arch components onto an assembly of barges on the Fraser River below.

To prepare for the complex operation, crews have removed some concrete components to reduce the structure’s weight and installed temporary bracing and beams to support it during lowering and dismantling.

pattullo bridge archs removal oct 9 2026

Arch removal process for the old Pattullo Bridge, Oct. 2026. (Government of B.C.)

The river’s main navigation channel will be closed from the evening of Oct. 9 to the evening of Oct. 11 to accommodate the work.

Once the arch structure rests on the barges, crews will remove the steel strands used to lower it and secure it to the barges. Tugboats will then move the barges to the project’s nearby temporary trestle. The steel will ultimately be transported for further dismantling and recycling.

The timing of the operation will depend on weather and tidal conditions.

Following the old bridge’s permanent closure earlier this year, crews began demolishing its land-based sections in Surrey and New Westminster. With the old bridge structure physically in the way, these sections had to be removed first to make room for the new bridge’s final connections to the existing road network.

Those final road connections opened to vehicle traffic 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 shared pedestrian and cycling pathway along the west side of the new bridge — which also depended on the removal of portions of the old crossing over land — is not expected to open until later in Fall 2026.

Demolition of the old bridge is expected to be completed by late 2027, with the removal of its in-river piers and foundations marking the final stage.