Rejoice: The Center Street Swing Bridge Has Finally Reopened

At last, the Center Street Bridge reopened. Credit: Mark Oprea

The frustration for many is finally over.

The Center Street Swing Bridge, which connects the east and west banks of the Flats, reopened Monday after nearly a two-and-a-half year hiatus.

Besides the upsetting detours—which added a hefty trek for commuters—nearby restaurants and retailers cited the bridge’s closure for lost revenue.

The Ohio Department of Transportation, which led the $5.4 million rehab work, had pushed the structure’s reopening enough times that residents and businesses questioned if the project would ever cease.

“The reopening is going to be celebrated by everyone who does business in the Flats,” Audrey Gerlach, vice president of economic development at Downtown Cleveland, Inc., told Scene. “It’s that critical access point that’s been missing for awhile.”

First shutting down to traffic in the spring of 2021, work to repair the bridge was slated to wrap up the following fall, ODOT had said. Then, it was “summer of 2023.” Then, “September.” Nevertheless, during a test run at the end of September, a part on the bridge broke; it would be delayed to October.

Flats Forward, Inc. said in a text message that there will not be any reopening or ribbon cutting ceremony. (City Hall didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

Dave Steele, the owner of the Flat Iron Café, the Irish pub located directly to the east of the bridge, hoped on Monday that Center Street’s long out-of-order state wouldn’t have long-lasting consequences. After all, Steele reported about a 40-percent drop in revenue in May, when both the Center Street and Columbus Bridge to the south were closed.

A sign outside the Flat Iron Cafe on Monday. Dave Steele, its owner, reported grave revenue losses, he said, due to the bridge’s closure delays. Credit: Mark Oprea

“There are people that show up a half hour before the show: ‘Hey, we’re going to park at the Flat Iron. We’ll go get some food, we’ll walk over there. Oh, wait, the bridge is closed. Shit! How do we get over to the bridge? How do we get over to the venue?'” Steele said from his bar. “They panic. They end up going late to their show. And next time they come back, they remember all that.”

But Steele’s optimistic. On Monday, he wrote on a A-frame sign outside: “Bridge is open! As is the Bar for Celebratory drinks.”

“I think in due time things will be back to normal,” Steele added.

The bridge itself is completely repainted, with a firetruck red that stands out in the foreground of the Detroit Superior Bridge. Its swing system is completely rehabilitated, and takes a little over two minutes to rotate to locked position.

Kevin Gjrezi, 28, sees the new beauty in Center Street’s reawakening. And as someone who lives in an apartment facing the Cuyahoga, Gjrezi knows firsthand the added freedom for pedestrians.

“They’ll definitely be some added traffic,” he said, holding his dog Oreo. As he talked, the bridge went into rotation to let the American Courage pass. He added with a smile, “Not sure if it’s the best for dog owners. But it’s good for the city.”

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