1894 Williams St. Bridge to East Helena?

What in inglorious end it could be for the historic 1894 Williams Street Bridge!

If the proposed move is carried out, and the bridge is reconstructed over Prickly Pear Creek in East Helena, it will end its days as a backstreet workhorse, right beside a busy four-lane highway, and just yards away from the vast ASARCO slag heap.

Scott Nelson of the Bridgeworks Conservancy, the man who saved the historic Craig Bridge, has been in negotiations to acquire the Williams Street Bridge, and to preserve it on his Broadwater property, very close to its original location. For whatever reasons, it appears that Mr. Nelson has been suddenly taken out of the loop concerning the fate of the bridge.

If the move to East Helena is made, will the missing decorative elements of the historic bridge be restored, or will it suffer even more degradation than it already has?

I understand that East Helenans could gain some modest benefit by once again having a bridge over the Prickly Pear on Pacific Street, but in my opinion relegating the Williams Street Bridge to this task is simply inappropriate. This historic structure should be preserved, restored, and placed in a beautiful natural setting where many future generations of Helena area residents can experience it.