TOLEDO, Ohio — The Craig Memorial Bridge, which has been closed since the drawbridge got stuck open almost four weeks ago, is one step closer to reopening Thursday night.
While the bridge remains closed to traffic, Ohio Department of Transportation crews say they are testing their repair. The drawbridge section of the bridge was closed Thursday evening.
ODOT officials have not said yet when the bridge will reopen to traffic. They plan to continue testing the bridge Thursday night and Friday.
The bridge that carries State Route 65 across the Maumee River in downtown Toledo was closed to traffic on March 21 after an electrical component became overloaded.
The bridge was reportedly raised to allow a boat to pass, but was then not able to be lowered.
Work to repair the bridge has been underway since but the repairs were stalled by a long wait for a key piece to be able to complete the project.
The affected component of the bridge is called a "contactor." It reportedly got overloaded on March 21, causing the malfunction.
But the real problem came when officials needed to find a replacement part. The contactor in the bridge is the original from the 1950s, ODOT representatives said. It's a unique piece that is no longer made and can be hard to find.
Since the bridge closed, drivers have been forced to find other routes across the Maumee River.
In early April, officials announced that the replacement part had been procured and work on fixing the bridge had resumed.
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