Crane shift to close I-280

A gantry truss crane on I-280 near Greenbelt Parkway is scheduled for movement tonight in preparation for construction work on the highway's northbound exit to the parkway.

Crane maneuvers will close I-280 in North Toledo tonight, and possibly again this weekend, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

The closings will occur while a gantry truss crane used to assemble ramp spans for the new bridge over the Maumee River is moved across the freeway following the recent completion of the future Greenbelt Parkway bridge entrance ramp.

Starting at 6 p.m., I-280 will be closed in both directions through the area, with southbound traffic detoured at I-75 and northbound through-traffic detoured at State Rt. 795. Local traffic will be allowed to use northbound I-280 as far as Navarre Avenue and across the Craig Memorial Bridge, and southbound I-280 from Summit Street south.

Through traffic will be directed to use I-75 and Route 795. The freeway is scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. tomorrow.

Tonight's move will put the crane into a position where it can be worked on before its use to assemble the northbound I-280 exit to Greenbelt begins, ODOT spokesman Joe Rutherford said.

Depending on how quickly those preparations are finished, it could be moved again this weekend to position it for that assembly to start, which would require closing I-280 again.

ODOT will make another announcement before any further closings occur, the spokesman said.

State officials expect to close I-280 for about seven months in the same area, starting later this spring, when assembly of the $220 million bridge's main line spans resumes.

Main line assembly has been suspended since February, 2004, when a crane collapse killed four workers and injured four others. An attempt to resume that part of construction in October was aborted when another crane incident occurred, causing no injuries but prompting state officials to order Fru-Con Construction, the project contractor, to revise certain aspects of the construction method.

The crane involved in building ramp spans for the bridge has not been affected by the incidents, and workers using it have completed three of the project's four ramps.