NILES Officials celebrate opening of viaduct

A city school bus did a ceremonial drive over the span.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- After 18 months, more than $6.5 million and some of the most unusual weather conditions this area's seen in years, the Niles viaduct is officially completed.
City, Trumbull County and state officials gathered under gray skies Thursday morning to celebrate the new 680-foot span with ribbon-cutting festivities and a ceremonial drive over the span by a Niles City Schools bus.
"We offer a salute to the Niles bridge that will give us 100 years-plus of service," said County Engineer John Latell, moments before he and a handful of others took scissors to the red ribbon stretched across the viaduct.
The multimillion-dollar project wrapped up construction this week, two days ahead of schedule. In addition to replacing the 68-year-old structure one side at a time, workers from J.D. Williamson Construction Inc. of Tallmadge, under the supervision of the county -- which owns the span -- and the Ohio Department of Transportation also sealed the road, paved approaches on either side, and installed a 7-foot-wide sidewalk on the west side.
The project was paid for primarily with state and federal funds, with the city chipping in 1 percent.
How plan changed
Originally, construction plans called for closing the bridge for six months to allow the entire structure to be replaced at once.
Residents and business owners on the city's South Side, however, fought against that plan, and Niles officials joined their cause. Had the span closed, they said, traffic and emergency vehicles would have only one route -- the Belmont Avenue bridge -- over the Mahoning River to the South Side.
Though the decision to keep at least one side of the bridge open to traffic delayed the completion date, Mayor Ralph A. Infante said all went well.
"This is the first time we've had a project of this size where there were no complaints," he said.
City Engineer Mark Hess said with the viaduct completed, traffic patterns will remain the same unless he learns of congestion problems.
In both directions, the right lanes are dedicated to through traffic and vehicles turning right, while the left lanes are dedicated turn lanes, he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com