Notable speaker, author voices support for saving Pedestrian Bridge

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — When we met him at the beginning of December, Jonathan Pinkey's petition to save the Pedestrian Bridge had about 300 signatures.

But now that number has grown.

"It’s over 1,350 for sure," he said.

And one of the most notable signatures on that petition?

"I did sign the petition," said Michael Wallis, noted author, historian, and preservationist. "I don’t know realistically if that’s going to happen, but I at least wanted to put my two cents in."

He was on the committee that chose the new bridge and gave his opinion at that time as well.

"And I even voiced to some of my compadres on that panel, 'What if we just kept the old bridge?'" said Wallis.

Not unlike what's been done with the Cyrus Avery bridge.

"It was the bridge that Cyrus Stevens Avery used to convince the powers that be to bring the road, the Mother Road, through Tulsa across the Arkansas and on west," he said.

So what would he like to see happen down river?

"What I’d like to see is build your new, big, great bridge, but keep this one for other purposes," Wallis said. "Keep it and tuck it away because there is still good bones in that bridge and it could be enhanced."

"It is doable, if we take the time to look at it and listen to the people that want to save the bridge," said Pinkey.

A final push to save some Tulsa history, whatever the odds may be.

"It appears to me the die has been cast, but it doesn’t hurt for people who are interested in preservation, and the preservation of history, culture, and the features of this city to at least make a little bit of fuss about it," said Wallis.