Spring Common bridge downtown to close for at least 6 months

Repairs to the bridge are to be completed in November 2008.

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The Spring Common bridge — one of the main entrances to the city’s downtown — will be closed for at least six months beginning Jan. 7.

The Mahoning County commissioners approved the bridge closing Thursday. The bridge, which spans the Mahoning River, connects Mahoning Avenue with Fifth Avenue and West Federal Street at downtown’s west end.

Traffic will be detoured over Hogue and Marshall streets and over the Marshall Street Bridge to Vindicator Square and West Federal Street.

Access to the B&O Station Banquet Hall and Anthony’s on the River restaurant will be maintained. The city will adjust timing of traffic signals to expedite traffic making the quarter-mile detour, said county Engineer Richard A. Marsico.

Until now, the construction has been confined to the eastbound lanes of the bridge, with one lane of traffic maintained in each direction over the westbound lanes.

Although the original plan was to work on half of the bridge at a time and maintain traffic on the other half, the bridge will close completely next month to allow earlier removal of the deck of the westbound lanes so structural repairs can be completed and the project can be kept on schedule, Marsico said.

The entire bridge is scheduled to reopen in November 2008 after completion of the $5.2 million, two-year rehabilitation, which began in July.

The work includes replacement of the bridge’s deck, sidewalks and outside railings, repair and replacement of structural steel and painting.

The 268-foot-long steel arch of the 1949 vintage bridge’s main span will be preserved.

When the deck was removed on the eastbound side of the bridge, additional parts of the steel structure were identified as areas of concern, and the Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to have $300,000 in additional federal funds for the project directed toward the additional steel repairs, the engineer’s office said.