It’s been almost a year since Kamloops’ historic Red Bridge burnt down. The fire — believed to be an act of arson — happened Sept. 19, 2024.

For an update, the Kamloops Chronicle reached out to the RCMP, the Ministry of Transportation, The City of Kamloops and Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc.

“The Ministry of Transportation and Transit recently started the planning and design project in partnership with Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and the City of Kamloops to determine transportation plans over the South Thompson River,” the Ministry of Transportation and Transit responded in a statement.

“This work includes investigating engineering designs, analyzing replacement options and evaluating potential improvements to the broader transportation network in the Kamloops area.”

According to the Ministry, The Red Bridge was built in 1936. The bridge was a load-restricted structure for passenger vehicles and pedestrians, with lane widths measuring only 2.7 meters wide compared to the standard lane width of 3.5 meters. Five rehabilitation projects were completed on the bridge in the past 88 years.

The Ministry also added that a contract for planning and design was awarded to Urban Systems Limited.

Will the new Red Bridge maintain the old retro vibe? Will it even be red?

“As the project is still in its preliminary stages, it is too early to speculate on what a replacement or other improvements might look like. Once the planning and design engineering team has gathered the needed information, the ministry will be in a better position to do so,” said the Ministry.

As for an update on the criminal investigation, Cpl. Dana Napier of the Kamloops RCMP offered the following: “The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to please call the Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-300 and cite file 2024-31206.”