3rd lane will reopen to traffic on King Bridge

11/23/2005

A third lane will be reopened this weekend on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge to accommodate traffic heading to the Toledo Sports Arena and for other purposes as needed, city officials announced yesterday.

King Bridge traffic has been reduced to a single lane in each direction full time since late last month, using the center of the bridge, out of concern that its aging drawspans may have been damaged by heavy trucks crossing it illegally after I-280 closed on Oct. 19 for bridge construction, said Bill Franklin, the city s assistant chief operating officer.

The results of an engineering inspection since then indicate that the curb lane on the upstream, or eastbound, side of the bridge should not be used, Mr. Franklin said. The remaining lanes will be set up in three lanes, with one through lane in each direction and a left-turn lane for arena traffic, he said.

Toledo police continue to post patrol cars at either end of the bridge to ward off potential violators of the bridge s five-ton weight limit.

The King Bridge s drawspans are scheduled to be replaced this winter as part of an ongoing rehabilitation project. The approach spans were rebuilt in an earlier phase of the project that was completed last year.