27 July 2006
Emotions Vary on Brown St. Bridge
Thunder Bay Ontario - To demolish... or not to demolish. That was
the debate at the last City Council meeting, on the future of the Brown Street pedestrian bridge. C.P. Rail wants to remove the
century-old structure. But while some residents of the area feel it's outlived its usefulness, others consider it a part of
their history.
The hundred-year-old Brown Street pedestrian bridge is maintained by the Canadian Pacific Railway, under an agreement with
the city. And the CPR has proposed to get rid of the bridge completely and in turn give the city $600,000. The opinions of the
councillors at the last City Council meeting were split in half, some for the deal and others against it. Members of the public also
have varying opinions about the bridge being demolished... and some citizens felt the city shouldn't hesitate about accepting the offer.
One person offered the opinion "Well, certainly the city should accept that deal, the bridge is obsolete, it has not been used for
a number of years."
When the bridge was open, it was used for leisure by some, but for others it was a necessity - a handy shortcut. For the past few years
the bridge has been closed for safety reasons, and now some citizens feel it's a useless bridge, that it has outlived its purpose.
Some people don't want to part with the bridge as they feel it's a part of history. And some residents explained how they remember using
the bridge and how great a place it was to watch the trains go by. "I hope they don't tear it down, that's all, we need it...
Westfort needs it."
Well, the pros and cons of keeping or removing the Brown Street pedestrian bridge will be up for debate next Monday at City
Council.
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