PORT CLINTON, OH (WTOL) - A major ODOT project that has basically cut the city of Port Clinton in half will take a few extra week to be complete.
Since October 14th, the Port Clinton lift bridge has remained up and closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
ODOT has spent the last seven months overhauling the electrical and mechanical aspects of the 85-year-old draw bridge, along with structural rehab as well.
The $12.9 million project was done over the winter and spring to have as little impact on the upcoming tourism season as possible. But with sporadic winter weather, and the recent extreme easterly lake winds this spring, ODOT said the bridge will remain closed for six more weeks.
Another factor is the engineers needed more time to incorporate the new technology into the historic architecture of the bridge.
"We don't want to have these major impacts in the area, so that's what, yes, we are going to take a couple of extra weeks right now, get the work done correctly, make sure that everything runs smoothly, and then that really paves the way for ti to be all good in the future," said Kelsie Haogland, Public Information Specialist for ODOT District 2.
The expectation is to have all of the work completed and have this draw bridge fully operational by mid-June.
