ODOT has neglected their historic Interurban Bridge since it was closed to motor vehicles in 1946. The lack of maintenance and resultant deterioration got so bad, they closed it to pedestrians in 1983. So, if ODOT was so negligent in their required maintenance over the past 80 years, why aren’t they rehabilitating the bridge today?
ODOT plans to pull down the walls next month. This will result in an ugly skeleton, not an artistic icon. It will have an adverse effect on the historic character of this first-of-its-kind bridge built in 1908. It will waste gas-tax dollars on pulling down walls that can be structurally supported at a lower cost. This will deprive tourists of a majestic view of the Maumee rapids and the historic Council Rock and the site of the start of the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Most importantly, it will not finish the job to make it functional again, and so it will risk the safety of children biking on the Buckeye Trail between Haskins and Waterville. If a child is killed on Highway 64 a year from now, will ODOT pay the funeral bills – I don’t think so.
Now ODOT has given the bridge to Waterville, so that ODOT can shirk their moral and financial responsibility to make this bridge a pedestrian/bike bridge again and so improve the area’s bike safety quickly. I am writing to the Ohio Governor (https://governor.ohio.gov/contact/contact-us), to the ODOT director (https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/about/divisions/directors-office/director), and to the ODOT District 2 director (https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/about/districts/district-2) asking them to delay the wall removal action, so that all rehabilitation alternatives can be fleshed out and discussed by the local community.
I urge others to do so as well.
David Weber
Toledo, OH
