Even if it means forgoing a $21-million grant from the federal government, restoring the Johnson Street Bridge is worth exploring, according to the leaders of a movement to reopen the restore-versus-replace debate.

Ross Crockford, one of three people behind www.johnsonstreetbridge.org, is calling for a referendum rather than a counter-petition as a means for the public to vote on the issue.

The roughly $150,000 price tag for a referendum is still only 0.3 per cent of the money city council seeks to borrow, Crockford said. “That is a very small price to pay for democracy.”

The counter-petition, by contrast, puts the onus on citizens to launch a petition against Victoria city council’s intention to borrow $42 million.

“It comes across as negative billing,” Crockford said.

On Tuesday night, the organization brought in a bridge expert from Seattle to speak at a public meeting which attracted nearly 100 people including several city councillors.

Frank Nelson is a senior supervisory engineer with Parsons Brinckerhoff and has experience with moveable and historic bridges.

“It is a one-of-a kind bridge,” Nelson said. “The e-mail chain (between historians) has been going mad for the past month and they can’t find another one.”

The bridge marks a cross roads between maritime traffic, rail and highway, he added. “Once it’s lost, it’s lost.”

The dollars involved are the other major argument in favour of restoration, Nelson said.

Generally, replacing a bridge costs two to three times more than restoring it, he said.

While the city’s engineers predict the Johnson Street Bridge would need to be replaced in 40 years even if restored, Nelson questioned the accuracy of the estimate.

He also questioned why council only considered the most extensive seismic upgrades in its restoration plan, when other cheaper options would prove adequate.

rholmen@saanichnews.com