The fire occurred in the early-morning hours of Nov. 1. An outdoor blaze at Sawyer Point Park, directly under the bridge’s approach span, caused significant damage to beams and part of the deck on the bridge’s southbound side.
ODOT said the fire left several steel beams deformed, detaching them from the concrete bridge deck. Due to a lack of support, the bridge deck warped and had to be removed via specialized demolition methods.
On Nov. 27, ODOT said it was working with Hinckley, Ohio-based Great Lakes Construction and several subcontractors, and that it expected to have all lanes reopened in March.
Gov. Mike DeWine called a Feb. 9 reopening “a tremendous accomplishment.”
“Emergency projects require a lot of very quick action and around the clock work,” said Director Pamela Boratyn. “I am extremely proud of the efforts put in to getting this bridge and highway fully reopened.”
In normal conditions, the bridge — nicknamed the Big Mac bridge for its yellow arches — serves approximately 100,000 vehicles each day. It is the easternmost of the five bridges that carry vehicle traffic over the Ohio River near downtown Cincinnati.
ODOT officials reminded drivers to be careful as they begin using the reopened southbound side of the bridge, citing changes in traffic signal timing and other road construction nearby.
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