CLEVELAND — The Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works has announced that the Memphis Avenue Bridge in Brooklyn is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Jan. 30, at 5 p.m.
The bridge closed to traffic in May 2022, after engineers noticed a structural deficiency during an inspection.
“I want to thank the residents of Cuyahoga County for their patience and commend the employees in our Public Works Department for their hard work as we get set to reopen the bridge next week,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne. “Closing a bridge – especially one that is used by approximately 22,000 vehicles a day – is a difficult decision but was absolutely necessary in this instance to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Cuyahoga County entered into a $6.4 million contract with Independence Excavating, Inc. in 2020 to replace the bridge, which was initially built in 1928.
The project is being paid for through county, state, and federal funds. Initial work included utility relocation, retaining wall and waterline installation, erosion control, traffic control design and detour setup.
The project began in March 2022, with the bridge remaining open to one-way traffic. During this initial stage, county engineers found corroded steel used to support the structure and immediately ordered the closure of the entire bridge.
“I am very proud of our team. They identified a hidden problem, quickly acted to close the bridge, and remained dedicated throughout the process, which resulted in the project being finished on time and completely safe for public use,” said Cuyahoga County Engineer Dave Ray. “It truly was a group effort.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News in an unrelated story on Jan. 26, 2023.
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