But I’ve see Photographs of the Bridge with Rusted Parts
Too much emphasis has been placed on photographs as definitive evidence. Unpainted steel will always rust but the question should be, how much good steel is there and, as part of a transition to a pedestrian bridge, what metal parts can simply be cut out for disposal?
For example: the picture below shows a rusted set of anti-sway bars, designed for when a train was braking to stop on the curve before King Street, as it always did. Today these could be simply cutaway and not replaced. On a pedestrian bridge there is no need for them, but it takes a Railway Engineer to know that.
What is the Story About Salt?
The photo above of the anti-sway bars is the north side where road salt was used heavily on King Street. Salt on steel is a recipe for disaster. Railways never do that. Councillors see the rust in photos, extrapolate that across the entire bridge and throw their collective hands up, often blaming previous councils. However, this bridge is still in pretty good shape and can be repaired, as the badly corroded structural members are concentrated on the north side of the north span. See video below which explains how repairs could be done to restore good support on the headwalls of the bridge.
Click on image above to see a one minute video with Michael Roney, and Rocco Cachiotti, (pictured above) active-duty bridge consultant and ex CNR Bridge Engineer commenting on repairing the bridge. Review of the south span of bridge without accessing the abutments.
The Town should stop salting all steel bridges immediately. For example, the steel Swing Bridge on Water Street which was recently repaired. Salt also washes directly into the Gananoque and St. Lawrence rivers which is environmentally prohibited but has been allowed anyway. Sand will do the job, not salt which is corrosive.