Bridge monitored for big loads

Trucks detouring around the I-280 closing in North Toledo have prompted city officials to step up enforcement of the five-ton weight limit on the Martin Luther King, Jr., Bridge.

The city s division of streets, bridges, and harbor issued a reminder yesterday that the bridge s deteriorated condition prompted the 1997 establishment of a 20-ton limit, which was further reduced to five tons in 2000 to preserve the King s lift spans until their replacement.

The lift spans are to be replaced this winter.

I-280 is to be closed between Greenbelt Parkway and Summit Street until mid-May. A detour route for local trucks has been posted using Greenbelt, Cherry Street, and Summit, but trucks using that route are directed to take Summit back to the Craig Memorial Bridge.