Thrill-seekers could soon have a new item to cross of their bucket-list: the Minister of Transportation has revealed that discussions have been underway for “quite some time” entertaining the idea of an adventure tourism operation on the iconic Lions Gate bridge, a key point of travel for thousands of commuters.
Kevin Thomson of Legendworthy Quest Inc., confirmed to CTV News that his company made the proposal to have visitors climb the internal ladders stretching up the four support pillars.
“It’s very unconventional and out-of-the-box,” Thomson said.
At 360 feet, or 110 metres, the climb is what Thomson calls “challenging” and likely only for those fit enough to handle it. The ladders are continuous and in a confined space with little room to rest on the arduous climb up, not to mention back down again. Nonetheless, the price may be the bigger sticking point for visitors.
“We’re still looking at it, but the $230 to $380 range is in line with similar attractions, depending on the time of day and year,” said Thomson.
The BridgeClimb attraction on Australia’s Sydney Harbour Bridge is the most notable comparison.
Visitors there walk over girded walkways and up gentle staircases for a view of the city from the 90-year-old bridge. Peak pricing is triggered at dawn and sunset when the views are most impressive.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said Thomson and Legendworthy Quest went to the province with the idea, which he finds “interesting.”
“The tourism opportunity here could potentially be quite significant,” Stone told reporters at the Legislature.
But he stressed that there are a lot of hoops to jump before the province decides to give the green light.
“We've made very clear to the current proponent we would only consider moving forward with this if there were financial benefits that could be arrived at to the benefit of the taxpayers of British Columbia,” said Stone.
He stressed safety would be the top priority, for drivers on the span as well as climbers. But Stone also pointed out that the option to operate an adventure tourism business on the bridge is now open to companies, whether they’re locals or from outside Canada.
"What we've decided to do was actually provide a Notice of Intent, which essentially is saying to the market -- to the province, the world -- this is an opportunity we are exploring with this particular vendor,” he said. “If there are any other proponents out there with potentially offering a similar type experience on the Lions Gate Bridge, we would entertain their proposals."
Stone adds other agencies would need to give approval, including the Vancouver Park Board.
Park Board staff tell CTV News staff have had discussions with Legendworthy Quest, but commissioners have not yet reviewed the proposal.
Nonetheless, Thomson is still optimistic the attraction can be up and running this summer.
