Ashtabula lift bridge
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West Fifth Street Bridge | |
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The Ashtabula lift bridge in raised position | |
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| Location |
 SR 531 over Ashtabula River, Ashtabula, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°54′1″N 80°47′53″W / 41.90028°N 80.79806°WCoordinates: 41°54′1″N 80°47′53″W / 41.90028°N 80.79806°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Kell-Atkinson Const. |
| Architectural style | Single leaf bascule |
| Governing body | Local |
| NRHP Reference # |
85001801 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 23, 1985 |
The Ashtabula lift bridge (also known as the West Fifth Street bridge) is a Strauss bascule bridge that carries Ohio State Route 531 over the Ashtabula River in the harbor of Ashtabula, Ohio. It was constructed in 1925 by a Cleveland firm, Wendell P. Brown, for $179,000. The lifting action depends on electric motors and a massive concrete counterweight. It is one of only two of its type that remain in service in the state of Ohio,[2] and the only one extant in the state highway system.[3] In 1985 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] It was restored in 1986, and was also closed from March 2008 through May 2009, for repairs and repainting.[4] Besides its importance as a major transportation route in Ashtabula, it occupies a crucial location in the city's built environment; the Ashtabula Harbour Commercial District terminates at the bridge's western end. A river crossing has been at the bridge's site long before it was constructed; a nineteenth-century pontoon bridge on the site was replaced in 1889 by a through truss bridge, which permitted river access because it was a swing bridge.[3]
See also
- The Charles Berry Bridge, another bascule bridge in Ohio
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- ↑ David Borsvold, (2003) Ashtabula. Arcadia Publishing, 18. ISBN 0-7385-2311-9
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 36.
- ↑ Kroll, John (November 30, 2008). "Ashtabula bridge closing separates merchants from shoppers". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
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