Main Avenue Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:	Main Avenue Bridge
Carries:	OH 2
Crosses:	Cuyahoga River
Locale:	Cleveland, Ohio
Id:	1800035
Design:	Metal-Riveted Cantilever Deck Truss, Stationary^[1]
Mainspan:	120 m
Length:	including ramps
Clearance:	(over river)
Complete:	1939
Open:	1939
Coordinates:	41.4987°N -81.7051°W

The Main Avenue (Harold H. Burton Memorial) Bridge (alternately Main Avenue Viaduct) is a cantilever truss bridge in Cleveland, Ohio carrying Ohio State Route 2/Cleveland Memorial Shoreway over the Cuyahoga River.^[2] The bridge, completed in 1939, is 8000feet in length, and was the longest elevated structure in Ohio^[3] until the 2007 completion of the Veterans' Glass City Skyway in Toledo. It was named for Harold H. Burton, 45th mayor of Cleveland, in late January 1986.^[4] The bridge replaced an 1869 bridge at the same site, and was built in conjunction with construction of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway.^[5] The bridge received extensive renovations 1991 - 1992;^{[3] [6]} it subsequently received major structural repairs in 2007^[7] and again in 2012 - 2013, both instances necessitating re-routing of large vehicles.^{[8] [9] [10]}

The bridge is visible at the end of the "Cleveland Rocks" version of the opening credits of The Drew Carey Show.^[11]

In 2013, the Federal Highway Administration listed the Main Avenue Bridge as "structurally deficient" and "fracture critical".^[12]

^[13]

The bridge has been designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.^[14]

See also

• List of crossings of the Cuyahoga River

External links

• Book: Watson, Sara Ruth . Bridges of Metropolitan Cleveland . John R. Wolfs . 1981 . Chapter 2: The Four Great Viaducts . http://www.clevelandmemory.org/ebooks/bmc/bmcchap2.html#p28 . 28–31 . 2009-06-30 . 2010-06-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100613104918/http://clevelandmemory.org/ebooks/bmc/bmcchap2.html#p28 . dead . Transcription at The Cleveland Memory Project website.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Main Avenue Bridge Cleveland Memorial Shoreway Bridge Historic Ohio Cuyahoga River Bridge . Historicbridges.org . 2007-06-24 . 2011-09-03.
2. Web site: Main Avenue Bridge . Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere . 2009-06-29.
3. "Main Ave. Bridge". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
4. News: Pauline . Thoma . Bridge over River Cuy renamed . . 1986-01-18 .
5. "Memorial Shoreway". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
6. News: Pauline . Thoma . Making a Drive to the Finish Line . . 1992-10-17 . 2009-06-29 .
7. News: Karen . Farkas . ODOT withheld fears about danger of Main Avenue Bridge collapsing in 2007 . . 2009-06-28 . 2009-06-29 .
8. "ODOT to Begin Repair Project on Main Avenue Bridge (press release)". Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
9. News: Rachel . Dissell . ODOT Officials Suddenly Close Main Avenue Bridge to Truck and Bus Traffic in Cleveland . The Plain Dealer . 2012-07-18 . 2012-07-18 .
10. "ODOT to Reopen Main Avenue Bridge to Heavy Truck Traffic (press release)". Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
11. Compare end of clip with Bing Maps Bird's Eye View of approximate location (choose eastward view).
12. News: . 2013-09-16 . Cleveland's Main Avenue Bridge draws red flags in National Bridge Inventory . cleveland.com . Associated Press . 2021-10-07.
13. Web site: National Bridge Inventory - Management and Preservation - Bridges & Structures - Federal Highway Administration .
14. News: Hlavaty . Kaylyn . 2021-10-06 . Main Avenue Bridge recognized as 'industrial achievement' with historical landmark dedication . News 5 Cleveland . 2021-10-07.