There is no more public access to the island. This bridge was the only way for the public to access the island.
Is there any longer public access to Sylvan Island? The road bridge is closed and the RR bridge appears to be shut off from trails.
"Too much bounce?" Seriously? Whoever inspected this bridge does realize this is a PIN CONNECTED truss bridge, right? Obviously, these bridges do flex noticeably under load. Does this person not know this? The only situation where "bounce" would be of concern is if an underlying issue caused excess flex, and if so, it is the underlying issues that should be described, such as section loss, sinking abutments, etc.
Hopefully Moline makes the better choice to fix the bridge up, rather than simply replacing it.
OK, I think I have the two Sylvan Island Bridges represented correctly on this website. This is the highway bridge. Some websites say this bridge was built in 1872 by Baltimore Bridge Company, and "strengthened in 1901". However, the truss spans do not look even remotely like something built in 1872. I strongly believe that the bridge was replaced in 1901 with the spans seen today. The former substructure from 1872 may have been reused, which may be why there is this confusion. Given these observations, I listed the construction date as 1901 and the builder as unknown.
Note that the other bridge to this island is a nationally significant (but little known) Phoenix column Whipple railroad truss.