Elm Street Bridge reopens

Dorm residents on the North Side of the bridge must cross it to get to class.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- About 14,000 cars pass under the Elm Street Bridge over U.S. Route 422 daily, and 1,000 college students walk across it each day.
The rebuilt structure was officially reopened Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the bridge being touted as a major gateway for both Youngstown State University and the city.
It's one of six bridges over Route 422, referred to as the Madison Avenue Expressway, being rebuilt by the Ohio Department of Transportation at a cost of $9.3 million.
The Ford Street and Fifth Avenue bridges are complete, and the Belmont Avenue Bridge is to begin in mid-September, with the Covington Street and Wick Avenue construction to begin in 2007.
YSU's Lyden House and Cafaro House student residence halls are on the north side of the Elm Street Bridge, and students must cross it daily to get to and from classes.
How it started
Getting the bridge project launched was truly a community project, said Mohamed Darwish, a YSU graduate and ODOT District 4 deputy director, noting it started with a telephone call to him from Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president.
Sweet asked what could be done to improve the northern gateways to the campus and the city, and ODOT, in coordination with the city and YSU, came up with the bridge-replacement plan, Darwish said.
Sweet said the bridge project is a good example of state, city and university officials working together.
Getting the Elm Street span replaced had special significance for Darwish.
"I spent a lot of time walking on this bridge going to classes," he recalled, noting that the 10-foot sidewalk on the west side of the bridge gives students more room than the original two, five-foot walks on either side of the bridge.
It's another step in the implementation of Youngstown 2010, Sweet said, and the first step for improving the corridor along the northern side of campus.
Safety enhancements for students was a key concern for the university, and the new bridge satisfies that objective, he said.
John Getchy, director of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, said his organization had a hand in the project as well, contributing $225,000 to the bridge replacement program.
About the bridge
Although the basic bridge had to be built to ODOT specifications, some of its aesthetics have a distinctive YSU red and white flavor.
The decks and sides are white, but the bridge beams are red and new fencing atop the bridge features large red "Y's" visible from the roadway below.
"No cracks. It's nice, safe," said Laura Yamsek of Brecksville, Ohio, a YSU freshman living in Lyden House, as she crossed the bridge moments after the ribbon cutting.
She was on her way to class and got personally involved in the ribbon-cutting ceremony when a YSU representative handed her a pair of scissors. She joined about 20 officials snipping the red ribbon.
gwin@vindy.com