A small footbridge across Manoa Stream that had been used by University of Hawai'i-Manoa students and area residents for decades was removed yesterday by city workers, who said the damaged 50-foot span was a safety hazard and a security problem for the school.

The 6-foot-wide bridge, made of wooden planks resting on concrete supports, suffered structural damage during the Oct. 30, 2004, Manoa flood that also caused million of dollars of damage to the university and to homes in the valley.

The flood also pushed over a footbridge farther up Manoa Stream and damaged rock retaining walls just downstream. The city repaired the retaining walls this year.

The bridge connected the city's Kanewai Park with the dorm area on campus. UH officials first proposed its removal several years ago, saying it posed a security problem.

UH spokesman Jim Manke said there was concern about unmonitored access to the student resident complex by way of the bridge.

"It's a security issue," Manke said.

According to the Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i, there have been at least 17 sexual assaults involving UH-Manoa students in the past three years, but Manke said the assaults did not prompt the bridge removal.

The flood damage made the bridge unsafe, and UH officials had fenced it off and posted warning signs to prevent people from using it. The fence has been repeatedly vandalized and some people ignored the warnings and continued using the bridge.

Manke said the university does not want the bridge replaced.

"I'm told that, yes, a lot of people used the bridge," Manke said. "It was considered by many to be a shortcut not only to the park, but shopping areas. They attempted to barricade it, but it just wasn't working. Students were getting around it."

City spokesman Bill Brennan said crews from the Road Maintenance Division of the Department of Facility Maintenance removed the bridge. Project costs were not available yesterday.

Brennan said the removal was at the request of UH, but that it needed to come down in any case.

"It was beyond repair," he said. "If left standing, no one knows when it would collapse. The possibility of someone being injured far outweighs the convenience it provided."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.