Crews begin work to repair Daniel Carter Beard Bridge after fire melts metal, turns playground into ash
CINCINNATI — One week after a fire destroyed a playground, closed a bridge and shut down traffic, crews have been busy trying to get things fixed.
A fire turned a wooden playground under the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, also known as the Big Mac Bridge, into ash early Friday, Nov. 1. It completely closed the bridge, which eventually reopened some northbound lanes later that night. Still, southbound lanes from Cincinnati to Northern Kentucky are expected to be closed for weeks as workers address the damage.
Crews on Thursday placed "footers" to start the base of shoring towers. The Ohio Department of Transportation said these towers will help stabilize the scene and make it safe for workers to begin necessary repair work.
"Right now we have a structure that is not safe, it isn't safe for people to be on the bridge or working under it. So we need the shoring towers erected to stabilize the structure," said Kathleen Fuller, an ODOT Public Information Officer.
ODOT reported in a daily update that the towers will be built over the weekend, with concrete to be poured on Friday. The repair process is still set to take weeks.
"One of the biggest things we've had to work on is the design for the repairs that are going to take place," Fuller said.
Sections of Sawyer Point that were closed after the fire reopened on Wednesday. The reopened trails allowed people to look closer at the burnt bridge.
"The fact that a fire in a playground can reach a temperature hot enough to melt the beams up there — and you can clearly see the beams are damaged," Newport resident Ed Becks said while walking through the area.
The Big Mac Bridge closure has taken a toll on drivers. Commuters have had to change their routes to various bridges, including the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, Roebling Bridge and Brent Spence Bridge.
Kathleen Fuller and other officials have asked residents to be patient as the slow repair process is underway.
"If you have to head south, across the river, then you have to allow the extra time," said Fuller.
