The following is an update regarding the progress of the Clinton Street bridge project, downtown Defiance. The $8.3 million project will completely replace the bridge which carries state Routes 15, 18 and 66 over the Maumee River. The bridge closed February 25, 2019 for approximately nine months. The project is scheduled for completion July 2020.
What’s happening now and in coming days…
Texas railing:
Deep in the heart of Ohio, Texas railing is now visible on the Clinton Street bridge. Work on the parapet railing, which is the decorative railing. It will also continue on the top of the outlook plazas next week as well.
The design of the parapet railing is called Texas railing because apparently the design originated in Texas. The church window design was created by using styrofoam to mold the cutouts.
Smoothing:
The most recent work on the bridge has involved grinding the concrete deck surface for smoothness.
This coming week, the concrete deck surface will be grooved for texture which creates some friction for vehicle tires. Also, concrete work will take place on curbs, sidewalks, and at the Circle K driveway.
Traffic signal work will also occur this coming week on the north side of the bridge on Clinton Street and on East River Drive.
Bridge overall:
The next few weeks will be an exercise in patience — for everyone building the Clinton Street bridge, and those anticipating its reopeining.
Weather is the driver of the project now as several temperature-dependent operations will need to take place in the next few weeks in order for the bridge to open in early December as we hoped.
One such operation is the pavement striping. It’s an important traffic control feature that must be in place in order for the bridge to be put back into service. That will factor in heavily in the next few weeks as that is a temperature-sensitive operation.
It is hoped the striping will be in place in the next couple weeks.
Although pretty, the parapet railing isn’t just there to be decorative. It is an important safety feature and must be complete in order for the bridge to open.
The plan is still to have traffic on the bridge in early December.
Pylon:
The decorative lights, which were removed from the bridge prior to demolition last February, are yet to be placed on the bridge. The lights will be placed on the pylons, there is still parapet and pylon work yet to be completed.
You can always view the progress of the bridge from the ODOT camera, or from the Crescent-News camera. Both are located atop Sensory Effects.
