EVANS CITY — An online petition to save a small foot bridge that appeared in the George Romaro classic “Dawn of the Dead” has worked, but the bridge's next destination is still up in the air.

The bridge was in Allegheny County's Monroeville Mall, where the sequel to “Night of the Living Dead” was filmed in 1977.

“Night of the Living Dead” was filmed in 1967 in and around Evans City.

The little bridge is the last accessible feature of the mall that was shown in the film, and the fans who launched the petition want it to be moved to the Night of the Living Dead Museum and Gift Shop on Main Street in Evans City, where it would become a display. As of Monday afternoon, the petition had 2,636 signatures.

A multimillion dollar mall renovation called for the foot bridge to be scrapped, but “Dead” fans stepped in just in time.

Stacey Keating, the Monroeville Mall spokeswoman, said that the bridge and it's railings have been removed by contractors and stored at the mall.

She said representatives from the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh will look at the bridge to see if they would be interested in it for a display.

Keating said a representative from the mall's management team plans to meet with both history center officials and Kevin Kreiss, the owner and operator of the Night of the Living Dead Museum and Gift Shop.

“Until our manager has met with (Heinz History Center officials) and they determine whether the bridge would fit with their display, we don't know for sure where the bridge will end up,” Keating said. “We are also going to meet with Mr. Kreiss.”

She said whichever venue mall managers choose, the bridge will be donated to the new owner.

Kreiss, who has not talked to anyone from the Heinz center, said that wherever the bridge ends up, it should be preserved and recognized as movie history.

His museum pays homage to Romero's career and the zombies in film in addition to “Night of the Living Dead,” which was the first movie to feature undead, flesh-eating zombies.

If the bridge ends up at his museum, Kreiss said it will be placed at the entrance to the “Dawn of the Dead” exhibit so visitors can walk over it to enter the exhibit.

The “Dawn” exhibit also includes pieces from the elevator, the escalator, the alarm bell and other items from the movie.

“The elevator was used in a climactic scene,” Kreiss said, “and the escalator figured prominently throughout the movie.”

Kreiss acquired the pieces during his five years at the mall as the owner of the store and museum Monroeville Zombies. When he moved the enterprise to Evans City, he changed its name to “Night of the Living Dead” because of the borough's connection to the movie.

Kreiss encouraged those who want the bridge to make its home in the museum in Evans City to call the Monroeville Mall to state their preference.

“The museum is a better fit because we are preserving the history of Romero and zombie films in general from the beginning to present,” Kreiss said.

Keating expects a decision to be made on the bridge by the end of the week, pending the scheduling of talks with Heinz officials and Kreiss.

The chapel at the Evans City Cemetery was saved a few years ago from demolition by “Night of the Living Dead” fans, as the house and car from the film no longer exist.