A miniature-scale replica of the Brooklyn Bridge is attached to John Roebling's original wire rope workshop in Saxonburg. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

While the original still is carrying an average of more than 116,000 vehicles, 30,000 pedestrians and 3,000 cyclists daily, the replica of the Brooklyn Bridge in Saxonburg needs help.

As we learned in the Thursday edition of the Butler Eagle, there are issues with the 40-year-old scale replica. It also needs to be moved from its current location.

The replica was built in 1985 by members of the Saxony Shriners to serve as a float for the city of Butler’s bicentennial parade. In 2001 the bridge was moved to Roebling Park in Saxonburg and attached to the workshop where John Roebling invented wire rope.

His invention made possible the Brooklyn Bridge — and suspension bridges worldwide. His son, Washington Roebling, worked on the construction of the bridge.

The workshop, which itself is in desperate need of repairs to stop its foundation from sinking, is a National Historic Landmark. Its designation is another reason the bridge needs to be moved — registered landmark properties can’t have anything attached to the structure, something the Saxonburg Museum didn’t discover until 2017.

Saxonburg Museum vice president Brooke Wamsley’s grandfather, Ralph Henderson, was one of the men who built the replica. He and two others used aluminum, plywood and fiberglass to construct the bridge.

The two towers originally were made from Styrofoam and painted to look like stone, but were eventually replaced with stone.

Water damage is threatening the stability of the bridge, and it also needs to be moved to protect the workshop’s landmark status. Friends of the Saxonburg Museum has launched a GoFundMe campaign with a target of raising $80,000 to make the repairs and the move.

To support the project, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-brooklyn-bridge-replica-a-community-legacy.

— JK