Less than a week after Mayor Joe Schember said he wants to see the McBride Viaduct torn down soon, Erie CPR, Connect Plus Respect, held a town hall to explain why they want to save the bridge.

"This is the very first public forum to discuss the overall issue of removing the viaduct," said Adam Trott, president of Erie CPR.

They've held a number of rallies on the old east avenue bridge. The bridge was taken out of service in 2010. In 2013, Erie City Council voted to tear it down.

In October, PennDOT unveiled plans to have it demolished by the end of 2018. Erie CPR wants to convert the bridge into a pedestrian walkway.

"The bridge is necessary, it's been there for more than 70 years, and it's been crucial artery on the East Side for transportation," said Michael Keys, spokesperson for Erie CPR.

One of Erie CPR's main points, is they say it won't cost the nearly five to six million dollars projected to save the bridge. They say the cost should be comparable to what it will cost to demolish it.

"They don't even have an estimate to prove 5-6 million, but we've researched it and we've presented an estimate of 3 million," said Trott.

The main speaker of the town hall, Charles McKinney, agreed with the lower estimate by Erie CPR. McKinney is a park planner from New York City. 

After a walk through, he believes the bridge isn't in as bad of shape as made out to be, and can still be a vital asset to Erie.

"You're not making it new. You're just patching the holes in the surface, and you're removing sprawling concrete. So essentially it's like you're not buying a brand new car, you're buying a good used car," said McKinney.

No one from the city planning was in attendance, but Erie CPR is trying to get the city to agree to a public hearing they said they have not been granted. But Schember saying just last week there were at least four documented public meetings already on the viaduct.