Columbia Parkway Viaduct

The Columbia Parkway Viaduct carries the Columbia Parkway over Interstate 471 and city streets in downtown and Mt. Adams in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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The development of Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati had several goals: creating a scenic roadway with views of the Ohio River, providing a convenient route for commuter traffic from the eastern suburbs to downtown, and connecting the city to Luken Airport. ^{1 2} As early as 1907, the city had considered transforming Columbia Avenue into a wide parkway and establishing park spaces along the route. A city master plan from that year by George Kessler proposed a route connecting Columbia Park to Red Bank Park, which eventually became Alms Park and Ault Park.

Construction of Columbia Parkway began in 1929, and the first section between Kemper Lane and Torrence Road opened in 1931. ¹ With financial support from the Public Works Administration, the parkway was extended to Linwood Avenue. The western end between downtown and Mt. Adams required the construction of a 1,659-foot viaduct over city streets and railroads, which was the final project in the construction of the parkway, opening in 1938. The bridge comprised 17 spans, which included eight Pratt deck trusses and nine plate deck girders. Notably, the bridge exhibited Art Moderne design influences.

Initially, the new Columbia Parkway successfully reduced traffic on Eastern Avenue. ¹ However, by the 1950s, the parkway became congested with over 60,000 cars, with the traffic lights in the Columbia business district contributing to the congestion. In 1962, the road was extended from Linwood Avenue to Fairfax, resulting in the demolition of numerous grand residences in the Linwood and East End neighborhoods.

In 1977, Interstate 471 was built beneath the Columbia Parkway Viaduct. ⁴ As part of the construction, several ramps were added to facilitate traffic flow. One ramp was constructed to connect westbound traffic on the Parkway to the southbound lanes of the new freeway. Another ramp was built to link westbound Parkway traffic to the northbound exit ramp at 6th Street on the interstate. Additionally, a ramp was created that passed through two sections of the viaduct, allowing northbound traffic on Interstate 471 to access the westbound Parkway.

Rehabilitation work on the Columbia Parkway Viaduct started on May 5, 1997, ³ and closed to traffic on January 5, 1998. ⁴ However, the $10.9 million project encountered unforeseen difficulties that led to a temporary halt in the work. ³ It was discovered that 291 exterior plates fabricated for the undertaking, which were intended to support the bridge, could not fit into the holes that were drilled back in 1938. The engineers were following the original design plan that indicated all the holes were of the same size, but the contractor, Penker Construction Company, did not adhere to the original design specifications. As a result, the plates had to be sent back to the fabricator for redesigning to ensure a proper fit.

Afterward, a new concrete driving surface and replica barriers were constructed, and the Art Moderne features were restored, followed by the repainting of the superstructure in 1999. ^{4 5}

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Details

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Sources

1. “From the Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati.” Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988.
2. Vanderbilt, Angela. “Slip, Slide and A Parkway = Adventures in the Subway and Street Improvements Digitization Project.” LiBlog, 25 Apr. 2013.
3. Howard, Allen. “Parts don’t fit; bridge sits.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Aug. 1997, p. B1.
4. Mecklenborg, Jake. “5th St. Viaduct.” Cincinnati Transit.
5. “New coat.” Cincinnati Post, 8 Jun. 1999, p. 6A.