The new Waterville bridge will be opened to traffic the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 31. That morning, from 10 until noon, people are invited to walk across and check out the new bridge. The City of Waterville and the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce, with the Ohio Department of Transportation, will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
The ribbon cutting will include the ODOT District 2 Deputy Director Patrick McColley, the Northwest Ohio Regional Liaison to Governor Mike DeWine Christa Luttmann, and City of Waterville Mayor Tim Pedro.
For safety and to complete pavement markings, the current Waterville bridge will be closed to traffic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 31. Detour around the bridge will be U.S. 24, Ohio 295 and Ohio 65.
“After four months of weather delays, we are excited to move traffic to the newest iconic bridge in Waterville,” said Pat McColley, ODOT District 2 Deputy Director. “This bridge is not an average ODOT bridge. It includes personal-to-Waterville details such as decorative balusters including Carruth pieces, arched fascia panels, decorative piers, and aesthetic light poles to coordinate with Waterville’s existing light poles. It also has a 12-foot multi use path, a 7-foot sidewalk, and outlook platforms on either side.”
Once traffic is switched onto the new bridge, crews will begin demolishing the current bridge piece-by-piece. Crews will then finish constructing the outlooks on the northern side of the bridge along the shared use path, which cannot be finished now due to the proximity to the current bridge.
