You're not gonna believe what they want to tear down

Alright, settle in, because I need to talk about something that just arrived on my desk – actually, it just arrived in the news, like a sudden snow squall in April. The city is apparently considering *demolishing* the High Level Bridge. Yes, that High Level Bridge. The one that cuts across the River Valley, the one with the streetcar that everyone loves to tell out-of-towners about, the one that lights up at dusk and makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, this whole Edmonton experiment isn't so bad after all. Honestly though, I had to read it twice. Demolish it? Are we talking about the same bridge that's been standing sentinel over the North Saskatchewan since 1913?

### The audacity of it all

Now, I understand things get old, infrastructure needs updating, and sometimes, well, things just get too expensive to maintain. But the High Level Bridge isn't just a bridge; it's a landmark, a historical marker, and frankly, a piece of the city's soul. It's the backdrop to countless photos, the reason half the population of Garneau and Old Strathcona get to work without sitting in traffic for an extra half-hour, and the ultimate vantage point for watching the Fringe Festival chaos unfold on Whyte Avenue.

* It was declared a municipal historic resource.

* It's a critical artery for our LRT and vehicle traffic.

* It is, by any measure, iconic.

I mean, we talk about the River Valley being forty times the size of Central Park, and the High Level Bridge is practically its front door. Tearing it down would be like deciding the Muttart Pyramids are just too much trouble, or that the Legislature Building could probably just be an office tower. Edmonton doesn't need your approval, never did, but it certainly doesn't need its history paved over either. This isn't just about replacing concrete and steel; it's about erasing a part of what makes Edmonton, well, Edmonton.

Darren Fedoruk, MiTL Sports Desk, Edmonton.

The gang over on the morning show will have thoughts on this, I guarantee it — catch them live at mornings.live.