Main Avenue Bridge

Main Avenue Bridge
Bridge in 2005
Coordinates41°29′55″N 81°42′18″W / 41.4986620°N 81.7051315°W / 41.4986620; -81.7051315 (Main Avenue Bridge)
Carries OH 2
CrossesCuyahoga River
LocaleCleveland, Ohio
ID number1800035
Characteristics
DesignMetal-Riveted Cantilever Deck Truss, Stationary[1]
Total length6,580 feet (2,010 m)
8,000 feet (2,400 m) including ramps [1]
Width82 feet (25 m)
Longest span120 m
Clearance above100 feet (30 m) (over river)
Clearance below96 feet (29 m)
History
Construction end1939
Opened1939
Location
Interactive map of Main Avenue Bridge

The Main Avenue (Harold H. Burton Memorial) Bridge (alternately Main Avenue Viaduct[2]) is a cantilever truss bridge in Cleveland, Ohio carrying Ohio State Route 2/Cleveland Memorial Shoreway over the Cuyahoga River.[3] The bridge, completed in 1939, is 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in length, and was the longest elevated structure in Ohio[4] until the 2007 completion of the Veterans' Glass City Skyway in Toledo. It was named for Harold H. Burton, 45th mayor of Cleveland, in late January 1986.[5] The bridge replaced an 1869 bridge at the same site,[4] and was built in conjunction with construction of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway.[6]

The bridge received extensive renovations 1991–1992;[4][7] it subsequently received major structural repairs in 2007[8] and again in 2012–2013, both instances necessitating re-routing of large vehicles.[9][10][11]

In 2013, the Federal Highway Administration listed the Main Avenue Bridge as "structurally deficient" and "fracture critical".[12][13]

The bridge has been designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Main Avenue Bridge Cleveland Memorial Shoreway Bridge Historic Ohio Cuyahoga River Bridge". Historicbridges.org. June 24, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Main Avenue Viaduct
  3. ^ "Main Avenue Bridge". Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c "Main Ave. Bridge". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
  5. ^ Thoma, Pauline (January 18, 1986). "Bridge over River Cuy renamed". The Plain Dealer.
  6. ^ "Memorial Shoreway". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
  7. ^ Thoma, Pauline (October 17, 1992). "Making a Drive to the Finish Line". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  8. ^ Farkas, Karen (June 28, 2009). "ODOT withheld fears about danger of Main Avenue Bridge collapsing in 2007". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  9. ^ "ODOT to Begin Repair Project on Main Avenue Bridge (press release)". Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  10. ^ Dissell, Rachel (July 18, 2012). "ODOT Officials Suddenly Close Main Avenue Bridge to Truck and Bus Traffic in Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  11. ^ "ODOT to Reopen Main Avenue Bridge to Heavy Truck Traffic (press release)". Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  12. ^ "Cleveland's Main Avenue Bridge draws red flags in National Bridge Inventory". cleveland.com. Associated Press. September 16, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "National Bridge Inventory - Management and Preservation - Bridges & Structures - Federal Highway Administration".
  14. ^ Hlavaty, Kaylyn (October 6, 2021). "Main Avenue Bridge recognized as 'industrial achievement' with historical landmark dedication". News 5 Cleveland. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  • Watson, Sara Ruth; John R. Wolfs (1981). "Chapter 2: The Four Great Viaducts". Bridges of Metropolitan Cleveland. pp. 28–31. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2009. Transcription at The Cleveland Memory Project website.