Parts of the Baxter Bridge will live on.
Splatsin Development Corporation (SDC) has reclaimed the non-creosote bridge decking from the decommissioned Baxter Bridge site.
The massive wooden deck panels 鈥� ranging from 14 to 20 feet in length 鈥� have been removed and transported for future community use.
"SDC made the environmentally responsible decision not to retain the creosote-treated sections of the bridge due to their potential risk to local ecosystems," the Corporation said.
The reclaimed, untreated wood will be repurposed for construction of nine new pedestrian and recreational bridges along the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail.
"This is a great example of local materials being reused to benefit the public, aligning with both sustainability and stewardship goals," SDC said. "While a full inventory is still being completed, the reclaimed wood is already staged and secured for use in future trail enhancements.
"Thank you to our crew for their hard work in recovering this valuable material for future community benefit."
The demolition of Baxter Bridge began June 25 as nearby residents lamented that their calls to save the historic North Okanagan structure won't be answered.
Cranes and excavators could be seen dismantling the bridge, a tough site for the community members who have been trying to save the bridge for months after the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said it would be demolished once a new bridge had been completed beside it.
For 50 years Greg Robinson has lived near the bridge that crosses the Shuswap River on Trinity Valley Road east of Enderby. He represents a Facebook group of more than 800 members that was formed to call for the one-lane wooden truss Baxter Bridge to be kept as a pedestrian crossing.
The ministry has held to its position that Baxter Bridge is unsafe and preserving it would be a liability for the government, and would also require costly maintenance.
Residents have formed at Baxter Bridge in recent months 鈥� peaceful demonstrations calling for the bridge to be saved. There appear to have been no efforts by protesters to disrupt demolition work.
The ministry was tight-lipped about when exactly the demolition would take place, but residents saw the writing on the wall when cranes were brought to the site late last month.
Baxter Bridge has been in the community for 75 years. It's been replaced by a two-lane steel and concrete bridge following the ministry's assessment that Baxter Bridge's lifespan as a load-bearing bridge has expired.
- with files from Brendan Shykora, Morning Star staff
