My office in the southwest corner of the top floor of the  Skylight Office Tower in downtown Cleveland provides a great view point for the comings and goings on the Cuyahoga River below. 

My last blog post dealt with the development of the Towpath reclamation project along the River south of Collision Bend. Today, I am witness to the beginning of the removal and replacement of the Columbus Road lift bridge which has connected Ohio City and Tremont to downtown Cleveland for 74 years. This bridge is the fourth bridge to occupy this historic spot since the initial bridge was installed in 1836. 

 The rusting mass of iron closed for good this morning, May 29, and the deck is to be cut away over the next few weeks. The deck will then shipped downriver by barge for disassembly. The photo at left taken from my office window shows the barge being pushed into place by a river tug.

 

I have used the bridge daily for the last 7+ years as a convenient entry route to the Tower City office complex from West 25th Street via I-90 from the western suburbs. Until the replacement bridge is finally open in June 2014, convenience flies out the window.

 

For all the reports about the bridge’s serious and “moldering” condition – undoubtedly true – the bridge deck has provided a much smoother ride than the moon-like surface of Columbus Road approaches on the north and south ends of the bridge. Let’s hope that some of the $34 million replacement cost which is being funded in large part with federal funds will be used to resurface those approaches which have caused more damage to automobiles than anything accounted for by the bridge itself.

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Bill Gagliano

Best Lawyers in America® has named Bill a “Lawyer of the Year” for two consecutive years – 2015 Cleveland Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year and 2014 Cleveland Construction Lawyer of the Year. He represents private and publicly held property owners, contractors…

Best Lawyers in America® has named Bill a “Lawyer of the Year” for two consecutive years – 2015 Cleveland Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year and 2014 Cleveland Construction Lawyer of the Year. He represents private and publicly held property owners, contractors and developers, and governmental entities. His expertise includes real estate development, affordable housing, leasing, construction law, distressed real estate matters, property taxation and abatement. In the corporate area, he concentrates on corporate governance issues and general business counseling. Bill’s litigation practice focuses on property ownership disputes, leasing matters, title insurance litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and construction claims. With over 30 years of experience, Bill has achieved the highest ranking, AV Preeminent, from Martindale-Hubbell, is recognized by Chambers USA and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and is also named to Ohio Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America®.