Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd.

A 12,000-name petition asking for the historic Kinsol trestle to be preserved was tabled in the legislature yesterday by John Horgan, Malahat-Juan de Fuca MLA.

The petition shows the amount of public support for restoring the trestle, but the ball is now back in the court of the Cowichan Valley Regional District, which must decide whether to stick to its original plan of building a replica or to change plans and restore it, he said.

The province has said it will provide $1.5 million to dismantle the bridge and another $1.6 million to construct a replica. Costs are estimated at up to $6 million.

Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd, which specializes in restoring historic timber structures, believes the 86-year-old trestle can be restored for $4 million.