CORNWALL, Ontario – The company in charge of cutting up the former Seaway International Bridge has a gift, of sorts, for the City of Cornwall – the high level arch of the structure that was lowered to the ground weeks ago.
The big question now is, does the city want it?
Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy confirmed Friday officials with Demo Plus have offered the span to the city, presumably to be used as a crossing over the Cornwall Canal for pedestrians.
But the mayor said the city is in no position to accept the offer just yet, and has a metric tonne of questions concerning the span.
“We will going down to take a look and discuss what has to happen,” the mayor said in an interview. “Apparently in the past (Demo Plus) was told there’s no interest in it.”
It’s believed the span is coated in lead-based paint, and there are questions about how much it would cost to move the span, set it up on a foundation and adequately prepare it for pedestrian use.
“The lead paint is an issue…and there are other issues involving costs,” said O’Shaughnessy. “We all know it can’t stay where it is…so what do you do with it?”
The mayor also conceded the span is a bit of overkill when it comes to preparing a pedestrian crossing for the defunct canal.
“Certainly the structure would be nowhere near what you have to have there,” he said.
The mayor expects city council will be advised of the costs of assuming ownership of the span, and any plans for its future, at an upcoming council meeting.
