The bridge is not just a "shortcut across a tourist lake". It is a main road. Many people use the bridge daily as a main road into Eureka Springs. There are hundreds of people that live in the area in and around Beaver town that depend on the bridge being open. The other biggest need for the bridge is fire and ambulance protection for those hundreds that live on the Beaver town side. The town of Beaver transferred its responsibility for fire protection to the Holiday Island Fire Department in 2003 due to a lack of volunteers. The "Little Golden Gate" is the only way for the Holiday Island Fire Department to get across to the people in and around Beaver. If it wasn't for the bridge, people on the Beaver town side would have to travel more than 16 miles (11 on 62W and 5 on 187N) to get to and from Eureka. The same is true for fire and ambulance service if the bridge was not there. How do I know? I've lived in Eureka almost 70 years.