By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — There’s good news for Bridge Street merchants and people who regularly travel through the Ashtabula harbor.
The Harbor Lift Bridge will remain lowered through the end of the month instead of closing next week, according to officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation District 4.
Crews worked six 10-hour days for several weeks in order to be able to lower the Harbor Lift Bridge by the second week in December. The opening of the bridge delighted the merchants, who lost considerable business because of its closure.
Dolly Jones, owner of the Doxie Deli, joined Bridge Street store owners as they hooted and hollered in delight.
“I’m so excited I could cry,” Jones said the day the bridge came down.
ODOT officials were expected to raise the bridge again this week to complete repairs and balance the bridge, but now the work has been put off until February.
The final balancing and painting of the bridge will be done this spring.
ODOT District 4 deputy director Eric Czetli and construction engineer Phil Crish spoke with city residents and merchants in November and promised to lower the 83-year-old bridge and to leave it down for about a month during the holiday season. This action would give Bridge Street merchants’ customers improved access for a week of Christmas shopping season and for a few weeks beyond that. Czetli also promised to do a better job of communicating ODOT’s progress with the public.
