TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - It's been a long 19 months, but the Anthony Wayne Bridge is officially back open.
The first car made its way across around 4 o'clock Thursday and many are excited to see the bridge finally complete.
"I think it's a wonderful thing. Things have been really congested downtown and it's been kind of difficult to get around," said Toledo resident Jabez Johnson.
It's been quite a while since folks have been able to use the bridge that connects the east side of the city to the south side of the city.
"It's been too long! I've had to waste a lot of gas going all the way around," said resident Sheila Vasquez.
The 84-year-old bridge was in need of some major repairs and this is the third time it's been rehabbed.
"It's going to be in great shape for decades to come and a huge benefit for millions," said Jerry Wray, Director of ODOT.
The High Level Diner has been open for two weeks and business has been slow. The manger says he's hoping the completion of the bridge will now bring in more foot traffic.
"I'm sure all the businesses around here will benefit from it. And besides people are just tired of driving around and now when they come across that bridge, it will be nice," said Encarnacion Enriquerz, owner of High Level Diner.
Gateway Express says they've lost 30 percent of their business since the bridge closed. Now they're looking forward to more people stopping to fuel up.
"I know where getting a lot of our customers back. They've missed us and we missed them," said Theresa Isaacs, Gateway Express.
In total the project cost $31 million and was complete two weeks ahead of schedule. Lane restrictions for painting could last up to a year.
