CINCINNATI — On the southbound lanes of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, the sound of traffic has been replaced with that of a saw blade going into concrete.
Crews continued on Monday what they had started on Friday: demolishing the portion of the bridge approach damaged by an early morning fire on Nov. 1. Large portions of the bridge’s concrete deck have been removed.
Ohio Department of Transportation District 8 spokesperson Kathleen Fuller said Friday the process is “very systematic” and “surgical” due to the structural integrity concerns.
The bridge approach isn’t fully stable and there is a marginal risk of collapse, she said Wednesday at a press conference.
“We have diminished that concern significantly with the shoring towers, but we're gonna be very careful. Our crews are gonna be very, very careful,” Fuller said.
Demolition is expected to last until mid-December. Crews will begin taking down the damaged steel beams after the concrete deck is fully removed.
Construction is expected to begin in January. The target completion date is March, but Fuller said “we are beholden to Mother Nature” and the availability of materials.
It means drivers may face gridlock for months.
Nearly two weeks after a city council committee briefing, council member Seth Walsh said he hears from constituents about the congestion now more than ever.
“I’ve realized we have to just keep doing more,” Walsh said. “Even if we think we're doing the most we can, we have to say it's not enough. We have to keep trying harder.”
Walsh’s office said he will be meeting with the city manager to check in on having police officers in place to help direct traffic during peak hours, adding Walsh “was told anecdotally last week by some constituents that police officers were in place to help direct traffic during peak hours.”
Walsh said some turn lanes may close to keep traffic flowing.
He’s encouraging community members to reach out to his office if they have specific ideas on ways to improve traffic flow.
“This is not a situation that is going to be solved by politicians sitting in the ivory tower of City Hall. This is gonna be a situation that is solved by people on the ground,” said Walsh. “We've had some people reach out with some really creative and innovative ideas. I don't know if they're gonna work or not, but that doesn't mean we're not gonna chase them down.”
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