island was to be transformed into the large, circular lake. The project was dropped in 1972. As the island has numerous water springs below its surface, from 1976 to 1985 plans were developed for using the island as the water source for the city, but this idea was abandoned, too. Though officially uninhabited, almost a dozen people live in small shacks in the island's interior. They are mostly retirees who move to the island during the warm season and maintain their vegetable gardens, while in the winter they return to Belgrade. In 2005, the island was protected by the state as a landscape of outstanding features. The protected area of includes both the Great War and the Little War islands. Bridge proposals The official city idea of constructing a bridge to the island was abandoned in 1972. Since the early 2000s, a military pontoon bridge has been placed each summer during the swimming season on the Lido Beach. It connects the beach and the neighborhood of Zemunski Kej, across an arm of the Danube. As the beach was almost wiped out during the disastrous 2006 European floods, the bridge wasn't laid in 2006–08. In general, the bridge is laid from July to September. It is long and placed by the engineering units of the Serbian Armed Forces. Placing of the bridge regularly sparks protest from the boatmen, either those who work as a ferrymen when there is no bridge, or those who are simply blocked in the Danube's arm between the island and the bank across it. In time, there were several propositions of building a proper bridge to the island, though environmentalists are against it. A project for the bridge on two levels to the island was drafted. Designers envisioned that the top level ("upper bridge") would contain a scenic viewpoint and a restaurant. The idea was abandoned. It was partially done because the design for the bridge, made of concrete and wood, didn't take into the account high water levels of the Danube. The project also included construction of the touristic complex on the island. In March 2016, mayor of Belgrade Siniša Mali announced the massive reconstruction of the Old Sava Bridge. However, in May 2017, after the project papers were publicized, it was obvious that the city actually wanted to demolish the bridge completely and build a new one. Citizens protested while the experts rejected the reasons