foggy midday exploring
E N G R O S S E D
May 2014
As part of a plan to strengthen Cleveland’s infrastructure, the I-90 bridge connecting the east and west sides of the city, spanning the Cuyahoga River, was dismantled and replaced. During deconstruction, downtown passers-by could witness the old bridge transformed into crushed concrete, sliced steel, and unrecognizable shards and shreds piled along Abbey Ave. The steel skeleton of the bridge, which was about a mile long, was ultimately imploded by demolition experts.
The Innerbelt Modernization Plan, as ODOT puts it, addresses “operational, design, safety and access shortcomings that severely impact the ability of the Innerbelt Freeway system to meet the transportation needs of Northeast Ohio.”
Is it humbling to see pieces and parts of huge transportation infrastructure in massive chunks and piles of human-sized debris casually roped off with caution tape along the sidewalk like exotic animals visible past a decorative fence at the zoo? Or is it exhilarating to think about “new and improved”?
I-90 Bridge Deconstruction Texture