A project four years in the making was completed Friday, and city officials are hoping it will open the area for development.
"I think there will be plenty of development in the very near future in East Franklinton because of this bridge," said Franklinton Development Corporation President Jim Sweeney. "This bridge was absolutely critical in helping this neighborhood get back on its feet."
The new Main Street Bridge reconnects Franklinton with Downtown following demolition of the old Main Street Bridge in 2006. Mayor Mike Coleman says developers are already buying property near the west side of the bridge.
The bridge opened Friday morning after four years under construction and a price tag of $60.1 million.
The reason the cost was so high had to do with constantly changing dynamics of the bridge. The bridge is one of a kind in the world and was very complex in its construction.
"This is a very complicated structure that the entire design added to it," said Tom Wester, Deputy Director of District 6 with the Ohio Department of Transportation. "There are pieces of steel that were brought in from, I believe, Wisconsin that weighed over a half million pounds. It requires a lot of skill and experience to operate that crane."
Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said the bridge will be a gathering place, and said it will open up the Franklinton area for development.
"You're going to find more activities on the west side of Columbus and I think that the next great neighborhood is our first neighborhood and over the years quite frankly has been neglected," he said.
The new bridge, which features an inclined arch on the bridge's north side, meets the needs of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.
An 18-foot, 7-inch wide multi-use path on the bridge's north side will accommodate pedestrians and cyclists who bike to and from work or ride recreationally.
The project also includes the resurfacing and conversion of West Rich Street from one-way to two-way traffic between the west end of the bridge to McDowell Street.
The bridge's roadway and multi-use path also will be used for festivals.
The Main Street bridge project also includes improvements to a portion of West Bank Park on the west end of the bridge.
West Bank Park improvements will be finished with the completion of the Rich Street Bridge in August of 2011.
The Main Street bridge project was funded through a federal, state and City of Columbus partnership. ODOT managed the project's construction.
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