We may be in the middle of winter, but spring construction season is just around the corner. I have mentioned the construction on the bridge going over Route 23 and the entrances and exit ramps quite a few times but the work that is most intrusive on our community will be starting shortly.
The bridge on Monroe Street is scheduled to close to traffic from Glasgow Road to Acres Road for about five or six months starting on March 8. The closure decision was not made lightly. In fact, transportation and safety officials started meeting about 10 years ago to discuss bridge maintenance of traffic alternatives. Different approaches were considered including keeping one lane open in each direction. However, doing this would increase costs and take 18 months to complete. Closing the bridge would reduce the construction time to about 150 days. Ultimately, those officials agreed to the more invasive option because of the reduction in time and inconvenience to the public.
Recognizing that people choose to live in Sylvania for the quality of services they receive, community partners such as Sylvania Police, Sylvania Township Fire, Sylvania Schools, and TARTA have been diligently working on ways to ensure continued service when the bridge that serves over 40,000 vehicles per day is out of commission. Here is what each of those agencies has planned.
Sylvania Police will be increasing minimum staffing levels on day and nightshifts by one officer so that equal numbers are staffed on both sides of the bridge. In addition, policing district boundaries will be modified through the 911 dispatching system at Lucas County to make sure calls are properly routed to districts divided by US-23.
Also, Sylvania Township Fire and Sylvania Police are partnering to allow Sylvania Police access to Firehouse #63 on Whiteford Road. This location will serve as a police substation, so officers can meet with residents on the east side of US-23 during the closure and perform other responsibilities.
Sylvania Township Fire is coordinating mutual aid with Toledo Fire and Rescue to provide overlapping assistance to their easterly districts. Similarly, 911 dispatching boundaries from Lucas County and deployment resources are being reviewed to cover specific incident responses.
Sylvania Schools Transportation retooled their bus routes this year to reduce the number of buses that need to cross US-23 leading up to the March closure. Also, the Schools have contingency plansin place to combine or add routes if student arrival and/or dismissal time are delayed due to increased traffic.
TARTA worked closely with ProMedica to change their outbound end-of-the-line service destination for Route 2 to the Health and Wellness Center at 5700 Monroe St. instead of Flower Hospital. TARTA’s Flex service can be used to fill in the Route 2 gaps with service to Monroe Street and Main Street. The outbound service to Harroun Road and FlowerHospital via Route 5 is not affected by the construction.
It is important to remember that John F. Kennedy was President when this bridge opened in 1962. It has served our community well for the past 64 years, but the vehicle count using the bridge has tripled and it is time for an upgrade. By widening the bridge to carry an additional traffic lane as well as a new 14-foot-wide multiuse path for pedestrians and bikes, it will serve our community for many decades to come.
While this bridge closure will temporarily have an impact our community, you can rest assured that the safety and transportation forces are prepared to provide these critical services through proactive planning, communication, and coordination.
As always, if you have something else you want to share orif you have a question on other city services, please call my office at 419-885-8926 or email lsmith@cityofsylvania.com.