The Detroit–Superior Bridge (officially known as the Veterans Memorial Bridge) is a

through arch bridge A through arch bridge, also known as a through-type arch bridge, is a bridge that is made from materials such as steel or reinforced concrete, in which the base of an arch structure is below the deck but the top rises above it. It can either be lo ...

over the

Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River ( , or ) is a river located in Northeast Ohio that bisects the City of Cleveland and feeds into Lake Erie. As Cleveland emerged as a major manufacturing center, the river became heavily affected by industrial pollution, so m ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. The bridge links Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's west side and Superior Avenue on Cleveland's east side, terminating west of

Public Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

. Construction by the

King Bridge Company The King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company was a late-19th-century bridge building company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded by Zenas King (1818–1892) in 1858 and subsequently managed by his sons, James A. King and Harry W. King ...

began in 1914 and completed in 1918, at a cost of $5.4 million. It was the first fixed high level bridge in Cleveland, and the third high-level bridge above the Cuyahoga (the first was the Old Superior Viaduct and the second the Central Viaduct, also built by the King Company). At the time of its completion, the bridge was the largest steel and concrete reinforced bridge in the world.

Specifications

The high level bridge starts on the east at the center line of West 9th Street and Superior, and extends across the Cuyahoga Valley to the junction of West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue. It is long. The total cost, including the land and a right of way, was $5,407,000, split as $1,687,200 was for land and $3,719,800 for the superstructure.Bridges of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, 1918; THE NEW DETROIT-SUPERIOR HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE; Stanley L. McMichael; pg 7-10 The bridge has of clearance above the river, and rises to above the river at the peak of the central span. The original construction included a

main deck The main deck of a ship is the uppermost complete deck extending from bow to stern. A steel ship's hull may be considered a structural beam with the main deck forming the upper flange of a box girder and the keel The keel is the bottom-mos ...

wide, with two

sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick, stone ...

s and a roadway. While the bridge's upper level is for road traffic, the lower level was intended for

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

s. It was built with four sets of these tracks, leaving room for two more, if needed. The structure includes 12 concrete arches and one steel span. The steel span is long and crosses the Cuyahoga River. The steel span cost $646,747. About of concrete and of reinforcing steel were used in the construction of the arches. The concrete piles used in the foundation work, if placed end to end, would extend a distance of . Each end of the structure has underground streetcar stations for the trams that operated on the lower deck.

Subway

The Detroit–Superior subway was an underground transit system that operated between 1917 until its closure January 24, 1954. The line served riders between Cleveland's west side and

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

. The system had two stations: West 25th (four platforms) and West 9th (two platforms), which included restrooms. The line ran on the lower level of the Detroit–Superior Bridge.

Gallery

File:Detroit-Superior Bridge in Cleveland.jpg, Detroit-Superior Bridge in Cleveland File:Video still from under the Detroit Superior Bridge, Cleveland, Ohio.jpeg, Video still from under the Detroit Superior Bridge File:Cleveland Veterans Memorial Bridge Subway (9230968317).jpg, Cleveland Veterans Memorial Bridge Subway File:Subway station, Detroit Superior Bridge. Copy of a photograph dated August 15, 1939, courtesy the Cleveland Press, Cleveland, Ohio. Subway platform pictured was entered by a HAER OHIO,18-CLEV,22-12.tif, West 25th station in 1939 File:Cleveland Veterans Memorial Bridge Viaduct (9233783234).jpg, West 25th station in 2013 File:West 9th station.png, West 9th station (approximate spot) in 2017 File:Detroit-Superior art installation (2).ogg, Art installation in 2019

Modifications

Due to the closure of the streetcar operations, the subway level became unused. In November 1955, ramps to the lower level were closed. The Detroit–Superior Bridge remained a bottleneck during rush hour. A two-year renovation completed in May 1969 added two traffic lanes by narrowing existing sidewalks from 15 to 5 feet and cantilevering the new lanes outside the central arch. On November 11, 1989 (

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dis ...

), the bridge was renamed the Veterans Memorial Bridge. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on January 18, 1974. In 2003,

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S.-Canada maritime border. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1 ...

Commissioners approved the conversion of the two outside traffic lanes for pedestrian and bicycle use. The lower level and subway station are opened to the public for tours a few times per year, typically around

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

, and for the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival. Self-guided tours are free of charge.Veterans Memorial Bridge and Subway Tours
,

Engineer's Office. Accessed 2007-07-24.

References

External links