UT formally breaks ground for Douglas Road footbridge

Construction of a footbridge over Douglas Road by the University of Toledo’s John F. Savage Arena is expected to start later this month following a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning.

The bridge is intended to provide a safe connection between the university’s college of engineering and the rest of its main campus as well as serve students who walk to classes from residences east of Douglas and people who park in lots east of Douglas to attend events at Savage.

“Our campus spans both sides of Douglas Road, and you can clearly see a path where students regularly cross that busy road outside the crosswalk at the light,” Matt Schroeder, UT’s interim president, said during the ceremony on the Savage Arena side of the bridge site.

The crosswalk to which Mr. Schroeder referred is about a quarter mile south of the bridge site, at the Douglas intersection with East Rocket Drive and Oakwood Avenue and at the opposite end of university Parking Lot 19. It is currently the only designated crossing of Douglas between Dorr Street and the Ottawa River.

Oregon-based A.A. Boos holds a $2,552,800 contract to prepare the site and install the bridge, which will be prefabricated off-site by Contech Engineered Solutions of Mason, Mich., under a separate, $324,600 contract. Nicki Gorny, a university spokesman, said the project’s overall cost is estimated at $3.4 million and will be paid for from both university and state capital funding.

After the ceremony, the Toledo Department of Transportation issued a notice that lane closings will occur at the site, between East Rocket and University Hills Boulevard, for four months starting Friday.

Ms. Gorny said the bridge is scheduled to open in May, and Douglas will be closed “for a short period of time when the bridge is swung into place to rest on its abutments.” That closing’s schedule will be coordinated with city officials, she said.

While no crash data were compiled to support the bridge’s construction, the UT spokesman said, “We're aware anecdotally of safety concerns that have been raised regarding misses on Douglas Road.”

The bridge will be about 78 feet long and have both ramps and stairs for its approaches.

“The University of Toledo prides itself on creating connections and removing barriers,” said Jason Toth, UT’s senior associate vice president for administration. “What better example of the same than this bridge and the impact it will have on the countless number of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to this great university for many years to come.”

Ms. Gorny said that beyond the bridge’s associated ramps and stairs, no additional fences or other barriers will be erected to direct pedestrians to the overpass. The university will strongly encourage the bridge’s use “rather than darting across the road,” she said.