It’s no secret that the Waldvogel Viaduct, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is aging. Constructed in 1940, the viaduct connects the newer 6th Street Expressway and U.S. Route 50 to River Road, Warsaw Avenue and Elberon Avenue.
For motorists coming from the east, accustomed the wide lanes of Interstate 75 and the 6th Street Expressway, and the gentle curves and shoulders, are taken back the moment that the highway transitions to the Waldvogel. Not counting the lack of a shoulder, the lanes are only 10 feet wide with no buffer, and the sharp bends and creases provide only a limited sight distance. The cluttered appearance of the steel supports and the plate girders are a stark difference to the smooth and curved box girders of Fort Washington Way.
In 1993, the weight limit was reduced due to structural deterioration. Repairs were completed intermittently, and from 1996 to 2011, the city conducted $2.5 million in repairs to the bridge. Despite this and other work, the city rates the viaduct a 4 out of a 10, while the state gives the bridge only a 2 out of 100.
The State Avenue outbound ramp has been closed for only a few years. The inbound ramp, with its non-existant acceleration lane and its blind spot with a left-lane merge, was closed decades ago for safety reasons.
A view of the River Road ramp.
The X’s mark a failing concrete sub-deck.
Fracture critical – in addition to being only a foot away from the roadway.
In the spring of 2010, the first phase of a $68 million viaduct replacement project, with the relocation of four railroad tracks. That phase, which cost $6 million, was completed in the summer of 2011.
The second and final phase, which involves the removal of the existing Waldvogel Viaduct, construction of five bridges, and the completion of an at-grade River Road, is expected to be complete by October 31, 2014.
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