Detroit – Superior Bridge
Coordinates: 41 ° 29 ′ 38 " N , 81 ° 42 ′ 13" W.
| Detroit – Superior Bridge | ||
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| Official name | Veterans Memorial Bridge | |
| use | Road bridge | |
| Crossing of | Cuyahoga River | |
| place | Cleveland , Ohio | |
| construction | Steel and concrete arches | |
| overall length | 878 m | |
| Number of openings | 13 | |
| Longest span | 180 m | |
| Clear height | 28 m | |
| start of building | 1912 | |
| completion | 1917 | |
| location | ||
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The Detroit – Superior Bridge , officially the Veterans Memorial Bridge since November 11, 1989 , spans the Cuyahoga River and connects Detroit Avenue and Superior Avenue in Cleveland , Ohio , USA . It was built between 1912 and 1917 and was then the longest and largest double-decker bridge in the world.
description
It was Cleveland's first bridge that, with a clearance of 28 m (93 ft ) above the river, allowed road traffic to flow continuously without interrupting shipping, such as the nearby Old Superior Viaduct with its swing bridge. As a double-decker bridge , it had four lanes for vehicles and wide sidewalks above and a level for four tram tracks below (with space for two more that were not installed).
The height of the bridge and the chosen moderate increase of 3% required long ramps so that the bridge extends from West 25th Street in the west to West 9th Street in the city center. It consists of a large steel half-timbered arch that crosses the Cuyahoga at an acute angle, as well as three reinforced concrete arches on the western side and nine such arches on the eastern side. Under the large steel arch, the Center Street Bridge spans the river, a swing bridge that was opened in 1900 after various predecessors .
The entire bridge structure, including the ramps, is 877.8 m (2,880 ft) long. The three-hinged steel arch has a span of 180 m (591 ft), the reinforced concrete arches are between 17 and 55 m wide. Originally the bridge was 22 m (72 ft) wide.
The Detroit Superior Bridge was designed by Frank R. Lander and AM Felgate, WA Stinchcomb and AW Zesiger were in charge of construction, all of whom worked as engineers in the service of Cuyahoga County . The steel arch was made by King Bridge Co., which had also built the two previous bridges. The construction of the reinforced concrete arches was divided between three companies.
The trams were originally supposed to reach street level at the end of the bridge between a fork in the lanes. But as early as 1916 there were concerns about the traffic at the intersections and a tunnel was added on both sides so that the tram did not come to the surface again until after the intersection.
The bridge opened to traffic on Thanksgiving Day 1917, with no other celebrations due to wartime.
Later changes
While Cleveland residents were initially proud of their new bridge, ten years later there were complaints of frequent traffic jams. Only the construction of two more bridges in 1932 and 1939 brought temporary improvement.
With the spread of the car was connected with the increasing disdain for the tram, which finally ceased operations in 1954. Since then the lower floor of the bridge has not been used. Since 2003 it has been opened for viewing on certain days.
From 1967 to 1969 the bridge was completely renovated. The roadway was widened to 22 m (72 ft) or six strips and the sidewalks narrowed to 1.5 m (5 ft). The large steel arch was extended by carriageways leading past the arches. Another renovation was carried out from 1995 to 1997.
In 2013, traffic was again limited to four lanes in favor of a significantly expanded footpath and cycle path. In 2017, cycling was further facilitated.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 1974 . On November 11, 1989, Veterans Day , it was renamed Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Carol Poh Miller: Detroit-Superior High Level Bridge HAER OH-6 (PDF; 425 KB)
- ^ Veterans Memorial Bridge in Case Western Reserve University's Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
- ↑ a b Detroit-Superior Bridge at historicbridges.org
- ↑ Bridges . In: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History of the Case Western Reserve University
- ↑ Veterans Memorial Bridge subway tour will be Aug. 19 article from July 31, 2017 on cleveland-com
- ↑ Cheap, efficient bike lane additions to Detroit-Superior Bridge ... Article from October 25, 2017 on cleveland.com
- ↑ NRIS 740011437