LORAIN, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation has been giving the Charles Berry Bridge in Lorain a facelift. Today, drivers should expect delays as they test out new remote-control system to raise and lower the bridge decks.
ODOT plans to conduct the testing during daytime hours and lifts should take no longer than a normal bridge lift, unless crews run into connectivity issues.
The 1,052-foot bridge has a bascule span of 333 feet and carries four lanes of U.S. 6/Erie Avenue over the Black River, at the City of Lorain's port to Lake Erie. It averages 700 openings per year.
The bridge, previously known as The Erie Avenue Bridge, was renamed on Veteran's Day 1988 in honor of Charles Berry, a Marine from Lorain who lost his life in the Battle of Iwo Jima and was awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor.
When it opened in 1940, it was the largest bascule span in the world. Today, it’s the second largest.
Construction crews are finishing up $26 million dollars worth of upgrades to the span that includes improvements to the electrical machinery needed to raise and lower the two connecting decks.
The remote control is not something that bridge operators will use regularly, but it will be available for possible use in the future.
