ODOT crews work long hours to get bridge open

By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

December 01, 2008 10:56 pm

— ASHTABULA — Crews will work six, 10-hour days this week to get the Harbor lift bridge lowered by Dec. 18, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation said Monday.
Eric Czetli, ODOT District 4 deputy director, and construction engineer Phil Crish came to town three weeks ago and promised to lower the 83-year-old bridge and to leave it down for about a month. This move would give the Bridge Street merchants a week of Christmas shopping season and a few weeks beyond. Czetli also promised to do a better job of communicating ODOT’s progress with the public.
“The reassembly of the north and south gear trains are complete,” said Paula Putnam, public information officer for District 4. “The contractor will connect the operating struts once the electrical contractor finishes the checks on the new equipment, specifically the new controller for the motors and brakes.”
Once the motors and brakes are working, the operating struts can be connected, she said.
“The subcontractor will continue to check the new systems this week,” Putnam said. “The new controller for the motors and brakes is the critical item to check.”
Testing should be completed by Friday, she said.
As for the road work, crews have finished with the approach slabs. The patching of the counterweight and the piers is complete. The barrier gates are installed but not hooked up yet.
When the bridge is lowered Dec. 18, Harbor merchants hope to accrue holiday shopping dollars and the Lights on the Lake committee hopes it will increase traffic through its show at Lake Shore Park.
In mid-January, the bridge will go up again to allow workers to align and balance it, and then, it would come down until spring. That’s when it will go up for final painting and some roadwork.
Crish said the goal is to have all of the work completed by June 1.