With it now official that the Wheeling Suspension Bridge will no longer support vehicle traffic, the years-long wait for that aspect of the bridge’s future is over. A new conversation about the future ­ –not just with the bridge, but with Wheeling Island as well — must begin immediately.

We all had to wait through studies and discussions with state departments about what can cross that bridge, be it vehicles or pedestrians. Now we know the answer: feet and not wheels.

So what now? How does the Suspension Bridge fit into the future of Wheeling? And how do we help the residents of Wheeling Island get another way into and out of their neighborhood?

Both are incredibly important questions. The bridge is an icon of both the Friendly City and the Mountain State. It’s importance to the history of both cannot be overstated. It will make a wonderful walkway between downtown Wheeling and Wheeling Island, especially when the new Wheeling Gateway Center is built beside it. Those two structures will be perfect companions in showcasing the beauty of the city.

Yet decision-makers should strongly consider doing more with the bridge than just making it a place to walk. It has earned more. Officials must figure out how much more the bridge can safely offer in terms of festivals and other events to be held near or even on the span. Again, safety first. The bridge can handle only what its construction will allow, but officials must be creative about its future use.

But since that future use doesn’t include vehicles, state and local officials should start just as quickly to figure out a spot to add another bridge from Wheeling Island to downtown. If there’s anything that these years of waiting on a decision on the Suspension Bridge has shown us, it’s that one is not enough.

On a normal day during peak drive times, the Fort Henry Bridge can get clogged and back up traffic past Wheeling Tunnel. Anyone who has tried to get to Wheeling Island Stadium for a football game can tell you how much worse it can get.

If the Fort Henry Bridge gets shut down for whatever reason, what does that mean for Wheeling Island residents? If one suffers a medical emergency and can’t get across the Fort Henry, will ambulances have to lose precious minutes to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital by going into Ohio and across the Veterans Memorial Bridge? The residents of Wheeling Island need another way to enter and leave their neighborhood on the West Virginia side.

The answers to all these questions will take years to figure out. The people of Wheeling, and especially Wheeling Island, have done enough waiting. Those making decisions must get the ball rolling immediately.