DEFIANCE, Ohio — A major construction project from the Ohio Department of Transportation in Defiance is very close to being complete.
The new Clinton Street bridge, named the Purple Heart Bridge, was officially opened to traffic last December, but that didn't mean the work there was done.
Since then, crews have paved both Fort Street and River Road near the bridge, finished painting the support beams, and built asphalt for a path leading from Pontiac Park.
There was a bit of a surprise as, during the cleanup, crews discovered and repurposed large stones underwater just east of the bridge, where crews in the 1930s had built a temporary bridge during the former Clinton Street bridge construction.
"You could see the actual handwork on them. And I felt they have historical value, they have a story to tell. So, we selected to put them along the shared-use path on the west side," ODOT project engineer Bashar Kanouh said.
All that's left is to reopen the two intersecting roads, and then install a railing for the path.
This marks the end of years of planning and of Defiance residents dealing with construction.
"This was the most intense in terms of the restraint on the time and having to open it fast. And also, it was a lot of work hours that went into that to get this job done on time in this short time period," Kanouh said.
The hope is that both Fort Street on the southern bank and River Road on the north bank can be permanently reopened to traffic by the end of this week or next week.