Fulton Road Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Fulton Road Bridge is the name of two bridges in Cleveland, Ohio
, the original and its replacement. The bridge in the Old Brooklyn
neighborhood spans the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
, Big Creek (a Cuyahoga River
tributary that runs through the Cleveland Metroparks
' Brookside Reservation), John Nagy Boulevard, and Norfolk Southern
and CSX
railroad tracks.
. These tiles had to be removed by a subcontractor before demolition could proceed.
Also prior to the implosion, a major 42” water transmission main, crossing twice underneath the old bridge, was covered by over 1,200 old tires, designed to absorb the shock of the falling bridge deck and protect the main.
The final implosion was scheduled to occur on Saturday April 28, 2007 at 8:00 AM, but a detonation cable failure resulted in only about one-quarter of the bridge being knocked down.
On Tuesday, May 1, just after 6 PM, the remainder of the bridge was demolished, leaving only the arch supports at either end.
The building contractor for the new bridge, Kosoking construction Company, estimated the cost of replacing the bridge at $45,859,138.00.
The new structure is an eleven-span, pre-cast, open-spandrel
arch bridge
. According to the contractor, nearly "1,800 cubic yards of self-leveling mass concrete are contained in the bridge piers. These seven piers were post-tensioned to support the pre-cast arches, which were erected in segments on shoring towers and then post-tensioned as well. Following the erection of the arches, the spandrel columns and caps were poured. Pre-cast concrete beams were also erected to support the bridge deck."
There were several delays during the replacement project, some due to weather conditions. The original opening estimate for mid-2009 was pushed back several times, eventually as far as July, 2010, when the new bridge was finally opened for traffic. Cleveland city Councilman Kevin Kelley called the delays "incredibly frustrating", noting they were "beyond reasonable and not fair to merchants" many of whom had gone out of business due to rerouted traffic.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, the original and its replacement. The bridge in the Old Brooklyn
Old Brooklyn
Old Brooklyn is a west side neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, extending east-to-west from the Cuyahoga River to the City of Brooklyn and north-to-south from the Brookside Park Valley to the City of Parma. Originally a portion of Brooklyn Township, the area was settled permanently in 1814 as the...
neighborhood spans the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. The zoo is divided into several areas: the RainForest, the African Savanna, Northern Trek, the Australian Adventure, and the Primates, Cats, and Aquatics House. The Metroparks Zoo has one of the largest collections of primates in North...
, Big Creek (a Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
tributary that runs through the Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. The various reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, tend to follow the rivers and creeks that flow through the region...
' Brookside Reservation), John Nagy Boulevard, and Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
and CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
railroad tracks.
The original Fulton Road Bridge
The original bridge, constructed in 1932 and dedicated in mid-May of that year, was initially six lanes. Two lanes were later removed, making it into a four-lane bridge. Several years prior to demolition, two more lanes were closed to traffic, but not taken down. The bridge was then two lanes, with two more blocked off, and with a sidewalk on each side. In 1997, three metal canopies were installed under the roadway to prevent debris from falling from the deteriorating bridge onto zoo patrons. The bridge was closed on October 5, 2006, and demolished in 2007. The new bridge, which includes arch- or Y-styled supports and appears similar to the original, opened on July 9, 2010.Demolition
Before the demolition occurred, the bridge had gone through some deconstruction, mainly of the deck. This was required due to the discovery, in November 2006, of tiles used as waterproofing under the desk which contained asbestosAsbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
. These tiles had to be removed by a subcontractor before demolition could proceed.
Also prior to the implosion, a major 42” water transmission main, crossing twice underneath the old bridge, was covered by over 1,200 old tires, designed to absorb the shock of the falling bridge deck and protect the main.
The final implosion was scheduled to occur on Saturday April 28, 2007 at 8:00 AM, but a detonation cable failure resulted in only about one-quarter of the bridge being knocked down.
On Tuesday, May 1, just after 6 PM, the remainder of the bridge was demolished, leaving only the arch supports at either end.
Construction of the new Fulton Road Bridge
The replacement bridge overlooks the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and spans a historic footbridge, two railroad tracks, a major water main, and several maintenance roads and foot paths - as did the original. It has four traffic lanes, two bicycle lanes, and sidewalks.The building contractor for the new bridge, Kosoking construction Company, estimated the cost of replacing the bridge at $45,859,138.00.
The new structure is an eleven-span, pre-cast, open-spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
. According to the contractor, nearly "1,800 cubic yards of self-leveling mass concrete are contained in the bridge piers. These seven piers were post-tensioned to support the pre-cast arches, which were erected in segments on shoring towers and then post-tensioned as well. Following the erection of the arches, the spandrel columns and caps were poured. Pre-cast concrete beams were also erected to support the bridge deck."
There were several delays during the replacement project, some due to weather conditions. The original opening estimate for mid-2009 was pushed back several times, eventually as far as July, 2010, when the new bridge was finally opened for traffic. Cleveland city Councilman Kevin Kelley called the delays "incredibly frustrating", noting they were "beyond reasonable and not fair to merchants" many of whom had gone out of business due to rerouted traffic.
External links
- Bridge news on the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's site, including videos of the demolition
- An article on the bridge's closure and destruction
- Construction Equipment Guide's article for the closure
- Cleveland-media coverage of the implosion, including video of the demolition
- Cuyahoga Country Engineers official website, renderings of replacement bridge