Detroit–Superior Bridge

The Detroit–Superior Bridge or Detroit–Superior High Level Bridge (officially known as the Veterans Memorial Bridge) is a 3112 ft through arch bridge over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge links Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's west side and Superior Avenue on Cleveland's east side, terminating west of Public Square. Construction by the King Bridge Company began in 1914 and completed in 1918, at a cost of $5.4 million. It was the first fixed high level bridge in Cleveland, and the third high-level bridge above the Cuyahoga (the first was the Old Superior Viaduct and the second the Central Viaduct, also built by the King Company). At the time of its completion, the bridge was the largest steel and concrete reinforced bridge in the world.

Specifications


The High Level Bridge starts on the east at the center line of West 9th Street and Superior, and extends across the Cuyahoga Valley to the junction of West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue. It is 3112 ft long. The total cost, including the land and a right of way, was $5,407,000, split as $1,687,200 was for land and $3,719,800 for the superstructure.

The bridge has 96 ft of clearance above the river, and rises to 196 ft above the river at the peak of the central span. The original construction included a main deck 75 ft wide, with two 15 ft sidewalks and a 45 ft roadway. While the bridge's upper level is for road traffic, the lower level was intended for streetcars. It was built with four sets of these tracks, leaving room for two more, if needed.

The structure includes 12 concrete arches and one steel span. The steel span is 591 ft long and crosses the Cuyahoga River. The steel span cost $646,747. About 2123300 cuyd of concrete and 9385000 lbs of reinforcing steel were used in the construction of the arches. The concrete piles used in the foundation work, if placed end to end, would extend a distance of 28 mi. Each end of the structure has underground streetcar stations for the trams that operated on the lower deck.

Subway
The Detroit–Superior subway was an underground transit system that operated between 1917 until its closure January 24, 1954. The line served riders between Cleveland's west side and downtown. The system had two stations: West 25th (four platforms) and West 9th (two platforms), which included restrooms. The line ran on the lower level of the Detroit–Superior Bridge.

Modifications
Due to the closure of the streetcar operations, the subway level became unused. In November 1955, ramps to the lower level were closed. The Detroit–Superior Bridge remained a bottleneck during rush hour. A two-year renovation completed in May 1969 added two traffic lanes by narrowing existing sidewalks from 15 to 5 feet and cantilevering the new lanes outside the central arch.

On November 11, 1989 (Veterans Day), the bridge was renamed the Veterans Memorial Bridge. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 1974.

In 2003, Cuyahoga County Commissioners approved the conversion of the two outside traffic lanes for pedestrian and bicycle use. The lower level and subway station are opened to the public for tours a few times per year, typically around Memorial Day, Labor Day, and for the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival. Self-guided tours are free of charge.