Is Gig Harbor against love? City removes 400 pounds of ‘love locks’ from bridge
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
City crews began removing hundreds of “love locks” fastened to a bridge over Donkey Creek about three weeks ago, after Pierce County recommended their removal duing routine bridge inspections, Gig Harbor Public Works director Jeff Langhelm told The News Tribune in an email.
“Love locks” are padlocks that lovers worldwide have adopted as a symbol of their undying commitment to each other. Many say the practice of engraving padlocks with names or initials and leaving them on bridges and fences especially grew in popularity in the 2000s, though it’s also become controversial in places such as Paris, where part of the Pont des Arts bridge railing collapsed because of its burden.
In one inspection report released last October, the county estimated there were about 500 locks on the bridge over Donkey Creek. The locks were hanging on the wire mesh between the bridge’s metal railings.
“City staff began removing the locks over the pedestrian walkway first to reduce the likelihood that any locks might somehow become dislodged (or the entire panel break away) and fall on people walking on the trail down below,” Langhelm wrote.
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The city put up a notice saying when it began the removal process, he continued. The sign, which was photographed and posted on Reddit, said: “Locks Are Prohibited on This Bridge. All Locks Will Be Removed Without Notice.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the locks were gone. The public works director confirmed the following morning that the city had completed its task and installed new temporary signs. The total weight of the locks came out to over 400 pounds, he wrote.
The city is recycling the locks, not storing them, because they were damaged when crews cut them off. Langhelm noted that city staff had proposed an art piece to hold the locks at Donkey Creek Park in the 2025-2026 budget, but “this proposed project was deferred either due to cost or staff capacity.”
The city had projected allocating $38,000 for the project in 2027.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 2:20 PM.
