Published: Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Mill Creek's Cinderella Bridge getting a face-lift
Work on the $524,000 project begins Monday and continues through September.
YOUNGSTOWN — One of the best-known symbols of Mill Creek Park is getting a fresh look.
The Suspension Bridge, also called the Silver Bridge, Cinderella Bridge or Fairy Tale Bridge, will be rehabilitated to restore its beauty and structural integrity.
The project starts Monday and will continue through September.
Estimated cost is $524,000 with a federal Highway Administration Enhancement grant covering 80 percent of the cost. The park will pay for the remainder.
When the project was first discussed about two years ago, the cost was estimated at $190,350, but a requirement from the Ohio Department of Transportation that a different process be used to remove the old paint more than doubled the cost.
The bridge was built in 1895 by the Youngstown Bridge Co., and park officials say it's the park's oldest surviving bridge.
The 86-foot-long span was designed under the direction of Charles E. Fowler, the bridge company's chief engineer.
Repairs, including replacement of original timber decking, were made in 1931 and a major rehabilitation, needed because of structural deficiencies, was completed in 1973.
The bridge earned placement on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The construction process
Beginning Monday and continuing through the project, Valley Drive will be closed to through traffic from East Park Drive to West Cohasset Drive.
People headed to the park will be able to access The Flats and the adjacent parking lots from the south using Valley.
The rehabilitation project includes repair, cleaning and painting of all rusted, missing and damaged steel framework, with members using historically accurate dimensions and detailing, the park said in a news release.
Sandstone abutments will be cleaned, and the bridge roadway and sidewalk decking, along with the asphalt roadway approaches, also will be replaced.
Dot Construction Corp. of Canfield is the project contractor.
The park's suggested detours through the project:
From south of the bridge, head south on Valley Drive, turn right onto Canfield Road (U.S. Route 62), right onto Chestnut Hill Drive, right onto High Drive and left on Cohasset Drive.
From north of the bridge, head west on High Drive, turn left onto Chestnut Hill and left onto Canfield.
