Columbus Road Bridge

The Columbus Road Bridge spans the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, providing a crossing for Columbus Road.

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History

The Columbus Road crossing over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland marks the location of the city’s first permanent bridge. ¹ Initially, a ferry was used here, which was then replaced by a path of chained floating logs on Central Street, later upgraded with pontoon boats.

In 1835, the Columbus Street Bridge, a covered bridge featuring a drawspan, was completed at a cost of $15,000. ² This drawspan allowed river vessels to pass without hindrance. ¹ The bridge’s construction was financed by real estate speculators, including Jas S. Clark, who were developing the Cleveland Center in the Flats area. This bridge played a crucial role in Cleveland’s commercial expansion, overshadowing the then-independent Ohio City. ²

The city of Cleveland received the bridge as a donation on April 18, 1836. ² To divert traffic from Ohio City, the city demolished part of the Central Street bridge in June, leading to tensions with Ohio City residents. In retribution, Ohio City residents rallied together, chanting “Two Bridges or None.” Efforts to destroy the Columbus Street Bridge included a failed black powder detonation and an armed confrontation on October 31, resulting in injuries and arrests. The latter incident was met with Cleveland Mayor John W. Willey and armed militiamen who soon seriously injured three men. It eventually took a court ruling to ensure two bridges crossed the Cuyahoga River.

On February 24, 1857, the city contracted Thatcher, Burt & Company to build a new Howard Model swing bridge at a cost of $24,000, split between the county and the city. ¹⁵ This bridge, completed in 1859, ¹⁶ had a projected lifespan of up to ten years. ¹⁴ However, by 1863, it was found that many of its timbers were rotten because of improper drainage, ¹⁴ and a chord broke on August 7, 1867, which was hastily repaired with a chain. Nevertheless, the remained of the chords broke a day later, leading to the collapse of the superstructure, which was replaced with iron in 1870. ¹⁷

On August 15, 1894, the old bridge was dismantled to make way for a double-swing bridge ¹⁰ designed by city engineer Walter F. Rice. ¹⁷ A contract for the superstructure construction was awarded to the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company on October 13 despite the protest of Architect James Ritchie who bid $2,160 higher, while the substructure contract was awarded to Fisher & Fisher and electrical work to George P. Nichols & Bros. of Chicago. ⁹

During construction, a temporary pontoon bridge was erected. ¹⁰ Stairways led down to the primitive bridge, which extended only halfway across the Cuyahoga. An 80-foot-long barge was placed in the center that was pivoted on a pile and swung by a capstan.

The new Columbus Street Bridge, completed on June 25, 1895, ⁹ at a cost of $100,000, ⁹ was the first of its kind in the world. It featured two 25-horsepower dynamos and two halves that swung in opposite directions, creating a 115-foot navigational channel. ^{11 17} The Columbus Street Bridge was the first of its type in the world. ^{8 17}

A $11 million project commenced in 1937 to remove hazardous curves and widen the navigational channel of the Cuyahoga River. This project aimed to expand the river’s navigational width and soften sharp curves, following recommendations from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the River and Harbor Committee of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce.

In 1939, a public hearing was held to discuss the construction of a new bridge on Columbus Road as part of a $5.5 million project to build three new lift bridges. ⁸ The new Columbus Road bridge, designed by renowned Cleveland engineer Wilbur Watson, was a key component of this initiative. ³ Construction progressed with the northern pier completed on December 6, 1939, ⁷ and the southern pier finished, albeit slightly delayed due to weather conditions, on January 18, 1940. ⁶

Despite challenges like wet weather preventing the bridge from being painted, the new Columbus Road bridge was opened to traffic ahead of schedule later that year. ^{5 6} The completed structure offered significant improvements, including a 220-foot wide channel and more navigable curves for river traffic.

Rehabilitation

A 2002 inspection revealed that the bridge’s electrical and mechanical systems were failing, and its structural condition was poor. ³ A subsequent inspection in 2007 showed little improvement, indicating that proper maintenance could have negated the need for replacement. Six options were considered, including refurbishing the existing bridge, constructing a new bridge upstream, or removing the bridge entirely. Ultimately, it was decided to preserve the vertical lift towers but replace the main span. ¹

The renovation, a $42 million project, ⁴ was funded through a combination of local, state, and federal sources, including the Ohio Department of Transportation, the county and city, and the Surface Transportation Program. ²

The partial reconstruction, undertaken by the American Bridge Company, began in November 2011 and was completed in June 2014. ^{1 18} This comprehensive project involved replacing the 250-foot main span, constructing a new operator and machinery house, new tower houses, rehabilitating the tender houses and towers, installing new machinery, replacing the north and south approaches, and installing a new fender system. ¹⁸

Due to the narrow, busy nature of the Cuyahoga River, assembling the new truss on water was impractical. ¹⁸ The solution was to construct the main span on land upstream, using 1,000 tons of structural steel. Once completed, it was moved onto a barge and floated down to the site with all machinery installed and operational.

The river was closed to traffic for 72 hours for this operation. ¹⁸ The old truss was removed, barged downstream for dismantling, and the towers were realigned using a sophisticated jacking system. The new main span was then hoisted into place and installed, completing the project.

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Gallery

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Information

• State: Ohio
• Route: Columbus Road
• Type: Vertical Lift, Pratt Through Truss
• Status: Active - Automobile
• Total Length: 200' (1835); 268/279' (1895); 359' (1940)
• Main Span Length: 115' (1895); 242' (1940)
• Deck Width: 33' (1835); 42' (1940)
• Roadway Width: 36' (1940)
• Total Height: 24' (1835)
• Above Vertical Clearance: 15' (1940)

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Sources

1. Pinckard, Cliff. “Columbus Road lift bridge in Cleveland’s Flats to be replaced.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 30 Mar. 2009. 25 July 2012. Article.
2. “Columbus Street Bridge.” The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. N.p.: Case Western Reserve University, 14 July 1997. Web. 25 July 2012. Article.
3. Sims, Damon. “Columbus Road bridge in Flats closed for repairs, has uncertain future.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 22 Aug. 2008. 25 July 2012. Article.
4. “Reconstruct & Rehabilitate Columbus Road Lift Bridge.” Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, n.d. 26 July 2012. Article.
5. “New Lift Bridges Ready By June 1.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 10 May 1940: 10. Print.
6. Lawrence, Charles W. “Sidetracks River Jobs for Probe.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 5 Mar. 1940: 6. Print.
7. “Carter Bridge Ahead of Schedule.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 7 Dec. 1939: 11. Print.
8. Dean, Jewell R. “Marine News.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 19 Mar. 1939: 56. Print.
9. “Columbus Street Bridge Opened.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 26 June 1985: 5. Print.
10. “The Pontoon Bridge at Columbus Street Ready for Use.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 14 Aug. 1894: 10. Print.
11. “A Double Swing Bridge.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 12 June 1894: 8. Print.
12. “Mt. Vernon Bridge Co.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 14 Oct. 1894: 7. Print.
13. “The Columbus Street Bridge.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 6 Oct. 1894: 5. Print.
14. “The Columbus Street Bridge Fallen In.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 10 Aug. 1863: 3. Print.
15. “City Facts and Fancies.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 23 Feb. 1857: 3. Print.
16. “City Facts and Fancies.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 20 Aug. 1857: 3. Print.
17. Watson, Sara Ruth, and John R. Wolfs. “Moveable Bridges.”Bridges of Metropolitan Cleveland. By SaraRuth Watson and John R. Wolfs. N.p.: n.p., 1981. 47-48. Print.