B.C.’s historic Kiskatinaw curved wooden bridge faces uncertain future

For nearly 85 years, the historic Kiskatinaw curved wooden bridge has been on the bucket list for travellers driving up the Alaska Highway.

Even when all the signs say “bridge closed.”

“The sign said ‘closed’ at the bridge, and I said, ‘Well, the bridge is where I want to go,'” said Dave Lirette, a tourist from Colorado who recently made a quick detour onto an old section of highway to see the bridge between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.

The northern B.C. landmark has been barricaded since June 2021 because of structural safety concerns first caused by a small landslide against one of the bridge’s piers.

Five years later, there’s still no timeline for its reopening, leaving local officials worried the popular tourist destination could be lost forever.

“You get underneath it. You can see a little bit of a propeller twist in the structure of the bridge,” Lirette said. “It’s shifting over time.”

a vintage black and white photo of a curved bridge under construction in a forested area. workers and vehicles are on the bridge, with a bulldozer nearby — An archival photo shows the construction of the Kiskatinaw curved wooden bridge during the Second World War. (South Peace Historical Society Archives)

rustic wooden trestle bridge spans a lush, green forest — The historic Kiskatinaw curved wooden bridge was built during the Second World War as part of the Alaska Highway. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

War-time engineering

Darrell Gunn, who is in charge of bridges and highways for the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit in northern B.C., said engineers removed the material pressing against the bridge’s piers but he’s worried the two hillsides supporting both ends of the bridge are still moving and causing the structure to shift.

Gunn said the ministry is reviewing options to remediate the bridge, and hopes to have a clearer picture of its future this year.

“We really have to look at what’s needed to keep that safe,” said Gunn.

four people casually chatting outdoors next to a white SUV in a forested area — Dave Lirette, visiting from Colorado, speaks with Dawson Creek tourism officials at the historic Kiskatinaw bridge. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

The horseshoe-shaped bridge was built during the Second World War, moving thousands of troops into the north to shore up continental defences.

For locals, its completion has endured as a symbol of Canada and U.S co-operation.

“It’s unique and you’re not going to see anything like this anywhere else,” said Ryan MacIvor, who oversees tourism development as the general manager of community services for the City of Dawson Creek and has helped in efforts to preserve the bridge.

Made with B.C. lumber, the bridge’s nine-degree curve steers through steep and rolling terrain. According to the province, it was the first curved wooden bridge built in Canada, and the only curved, banked trestle bridge remaining in Western Canada.

“It’s something special and we should spend more time, care, attention, share the history and look to see how we can preserve and protect it,” MacIvor said.

black and white image of a wooden trestle bridge under construction in a forested area — The historic Kiskatinaw bridge was built during the Second World War, crossing the river valley at a steep nine-degree curve. (South Peace Historical Society Archives)

an aged wooden bridge deck stretches out into a green forest — The trestle bridge was built by a Canadian company using creosoted B.C. fir shipped up to the northeast from the coast. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

Rot and vandalism

But since its closure, the bridge has fallen into disrepair. People still walk across it, though visitors can see damaged and rotting wood, graffiti and signs of fire.

Gunn couldn’t say whether the bridge will ever reopen.

He said the ministry continues to monitor it, but notes his department is also trying to figure out how to replace other aging infrastructure in the region like the Taylor Bridge, a much busier crossing and major economic link for northern B.C. and Canada into the territories.

“There’s a lot to consider, but certainly we know it’s beloved,” Gunn said.

weathered wooden bridge with visible patches of fire damage on its surface — The historic Kiskatinaw bridge has fallen into disrepair since it was temporarily closed in 2021 because of structural safety concerns. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

a wooden bridge with severely decayed and broken railing exposes nails and splinters — There are several broken railings exposing nails and splinters on the Kiskatinaw bridge. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

Tourism and fossil hot spot

The Alaska Highway was rerouted around the historic bridge in the 1970s as the oil and gas industry boomed, and surrounding communities grew.

Though the bridge no longer carries heavy traffic, it’s still a tourist stop and a landmark for locals.

It’s next to a provincial park and the river valley is a paleontological playground.

Just a few years ago, a father and son found a massive, 700-kilogram fossilized skull of an ichthyosaur, an ancient marine reptile that swam the sea that covered B.C. 250 million years ago.

“I raised my children here,” said Melissa Klassen. “Multiple times per summer we would come and enjoy this area, enjoy this bridge, enjoy being in nature.”

a smiling woman with long hair stands on a wooden bridge, wearing a black outfit with a green forest and rocky landscape behind her — Melissa Klassen, visitor experience co-ordinator with the City of Dawson Creek. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

Klassen works as a visitor experience co-ordinator for Dawson Creek, answering questions visitors have about the bridge’s history and how to find it.

“Visitors come back and tell us how amazing they thought it was, the scale of it in person as opposed to pictures,” Klassen said. “They’re not quite ready for that, so when they get to see what this bridge is in person, they’re quite impressed. And also they would like to see it usable and accessible too.”

Ryan MacIvor, general manager of community services for the City of Dawson Creek. (Matt Preprost/CBC)

MacIvor and Klassen hope to see a solution soon, whether that means making repairs and reopening the bridge to vehicles, or preserving it for pedestrians while improving accessibility and adding better historical interpretation.

MacIvor said public interest will play a role in influencing the province’s decision.

“It’s awareness, it’s advocacy,” MacIvor said. “It’s one of those things you don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it anymore.”

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