Proposed : High Level Bridge Replacement Project

The Summit County Engineer's Office has begun the long process of replacing the High Level Bridge, also known as the N. Main Street Bridge over the Cuyahoga River. This bridge is by far the largest and most expensive owned by Summit County. The current plan recommended by the Summit County Engineer’s office would replace the existing structure with a completely new structure as soon as practical, which is assumed to be 6-10 years. The all-new structure would be on an offset alignment to allow the existing structure to carry traffic while the new structure is built. There would be minimal disruption to traffic during construction. Additional right of way would be needed to construct the new structure. The new structure would carry four lanes of traffic and two sidewalks. The new structure is estimated to be a continuous weathering steel beam type structure composite with a reinforced concrete deck on reinforced concrete piers and abutments. 

Status:

SCE is spending $400,000.00 in 2023 to do preliminary engineering work for this project. SCE is also asking the federal government to fund planning and design of this project, estimated to be $8.2 million, through the appropriation process in the hopes of offsetting the detailed design costs. Information about the request along with the supporting documentation is attached below. 

The average annual revenue for the Summit County Engineer's office is $19 million and the necessary cost to design and construct and replacement bridge is $55-$60 million, which is 3 times the County Engineer’s annual revenue.  Even painting the current bridge to prevent further deterioration is estimated to be $6 million, almost one third of the County Engineer’s annual budget. The current estimated planning costs for this bridge, the amount we are asking for in this request, is $8.2 million, which is almost half of the County Engineer’s annual budget. Designing and replacing the High Level Bridge simply cannot be done on local funds alone, so SCE will continue applying for funding from state and federal sources. 

Location:

On the border of Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, where N. Main Street becomes State Street.