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Climbers would enter the maintenance towers on the north and south sides of the bridge, for guided climbs up the inside ladders, ending on the platform where the navigational beacons are located, a spot that allows for spectacular, panoramic views.

“I see this as a beautiful addition to the city, I want it to be a long-term thing, and I want to do it correctly. I want to make it a win for everybody,” said Thomson. “It’s about going up this ladder, seeing the bridge in a new way, seeing the city in a new way and exploring how you react to those things.”

There would be no new construction on the bridge. Thomson said climbers wouldn’t be visible to drivers as they would climb up the 360 ladder rungs located inside of the legs of the north and south towers, while securely fastened to safety harnesses.

Thomson said climbers will have to deal with enclosed space on the way up, and heights once they arrive.

“When you’re at the bottom of the ladder, you can’t see the top. It is enclosed, so there is also the feeling of confined space. The ladder is capped at the top, so it seems to fade away into infinity as you look up, it’s so high.

“As you climb up, it’s a duration effort. There is nowhere you can practice climbing a 110-metre ladder anywhere in the world. Your muscles are not used to it. You do tire on the way up. There are 360 rungs, one foot apart.”

Photo by Wayne Leidenfrost / PROVINCE

Using the existing infrastructure, there are a few maintenance doors that would be opened on the way up to be used as viewpoints. At the top, climbers would exit onto the platform where the navigational beacons are located, and have a panoramic 360 degree view. The price hasn’t been fixed yet, but it will likely be $250 to $300, on par with similar experiences elsewhere in the world.