| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Columbus Road Bridge | Columbus Road Over Cuyahoga River | Cleveland: Cuyahoga County, Ohio | Metal Riveted Camelback Through Truss, Vertical Lift | 1940 By: Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Technical Facts |
| Structure Length | Clear Span Length | Truss Span Length | Roadway Width | Sidewalks |
| 359 Feet (109.4 Meters) | 220 Feet (67 Meters) | 242 Feet (73.8 Meters) | 42 Feet (12.8 Meters) | Cantilevered: 2 at 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) each. |
| Navigation Vertical Clearance | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 80 Feet (24.4 Meters) | 1 | 4 Steel Stringer |
This bridge, which was designed by Wilbur Wilson and Associates of Cleveland, Ohio, is among the oldest of Cleveland's vertical lift bridges, and is for this reason alone it stands out among the other bridges of Cleveland as noteworthy. Furthermore, the bridge does not show the signs of drastic alteration that some of the other vertical lift bridges in the city, such as the bridge found on 3rd Street. However, all of that set aside, the bridge is significant for its highly rare incline that it features. Inclines on a bridge, while not rare, are not common either. However to find an inclined movable bridge is quite a surprising find. Cleveland has another, it is the abandoned Eagle Avenue structure, and is is also significant for age and inclined design as well. Thus, the bridge is significant on account of this unusual, and noteworthy design. As if this were not enough reason, the bridge is also significant as a documented example of a bridge funded through Depression relief programs because the plaque on the bridge identifies the Public Works Administration's involvement.
The Eagle Avenue Bridge is another bridge in Cleveland that also features
Contractors and builders apparently did not get much appreciation for building this bridge; the large plaque on the bridge has consulting engineers listed, but no contractors. Generally, movable bridges required several contractors, one for the superstructure, one for the substructure, and another for the electrical systems. None are recognized on the plaque. Names of contractors involved can be found by reading the HABS HAER data pages for this bridge. Also note that HABS HAER provides a lot more technical measurements for the bridge. Some of them appear to conflict with the date the National Bridge Inventory provides; it is unclear which is correct.
This bridge is considered structurally deficient, and as such it is likely to assume the bridge may be at risk for demolition or severe alterations. It is imperative that this historic bridge be restored with a high level of attention paid to maintaining the historic integrity of the structure. Other Cleveland bridges have been rehabilitated in a way that the historic integrity of the bridges is severely compromised. Such projects are better than demolition, and may be a wise choice for some crossings. However, it makes sense to at last pick one bridge and make the decision to spend a little more resources to do a genuine restoration. The Columbus Road Bridge is the bridge for which this should be done. The replacement of steel on the bridge should be minimized. If any parts must be replaced, they should be replicated with precise detail. In other words, if a built-up member with v-lacing is replaced, the new member should also be built-up, include v-lacing, and be riveted. Although this sort of technology is not in common use, there are contractors with experience restoring bridges that know how to rivet, and can accommodate such requests. Similarly, any worn rivets on the connections should not be replaced with bolts.
