Anyone walking along the shores of Vancouver's False Creek would be well advised to wear a hard hat as they cross under the Burrard Bridge.
Large chunks have been falling from the 75-year-old structure, landing piece by piece on the ground below.
Pedestrians crossing under the bridge on Friday were shocked to see that hunks of concrete larger than their hands had fallen from above.
"That can injure anyone walking under the bridge," one woman told CTV News
On Sunday, 10,000 people will cross the bridge during the Vancouver Marathon.
A week later, some 50,000 more will do the same during the Sun Run.
Peter Judd, an engineer for the city, says the bridge is safe.
The city says it inspects the structure monthly, and a bridge this old is bound to have some decay. Workers chip away some of the crumbling cement, and then fill it in.
"It doesn't mean nothing ever comes down. Some bits do come down, but that's why we have that proactive program," Judd told CTV News.
Engineers are also placing netting over pedestrian pathways, and the city has put up caution signs warning of debris from above.
Some have questioned whether the barricades installed for the new bike lane is putting too much strain on the structure.
But the city says that's not so.
"It's roughly equivalent to the weight of the lane of traffic which has been removed from the bridge," Judd said.
The bridge, the city insists, isn't falling down. In fact, engineers predict that the landmark has at least another 50 years ahead of it.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander
