South Toledoans bid adieu to bridge

Published: Monday, 5/12/2014 - Updated: 9 seconds ago

BY NOLAN ROSENKRANS BLADE STAFF WRITER

The first part of the Curtis Street bridge ripped apart by demolition crews was the last part anyone used.

No cars have driven on the bridge since 1970. But a footpath on the old bridge linked a South Toledo neighborhood together. That link was broken Sunday when, piece by piece, the bridge was torn down.

Built in 1899 by the former Penn Central Railroad, the bridge connects two parts of a neighborhood off the Anthony Wayne Trail near Sterling Field. Norfolk Southern Railroad, which passes under it, requested that the old steel bridge surfaced with wood planks be removed. Toledo City Council in November approved the demolition of the bridge, with the railroad covering the cost.

PHOTO GALLERY:Curtis Street bridge torn down

Nostalgia was in the air Sunday as the steel flew, as neighbors watched the bridge being tugged, pulled, and scraped by heavy equipment. Longtime residents said the bridge was a prominent part of their childhood, at least as much as a bridge can be.

Libbey High School was just blocks away, and the bridge was the path there. Kids met up on the bridge before and after school. It was a prime hangout spot for youth, day and night, yet still in view of watchful parents.

Wed just sit there and sing, Tamra McNeal said. She lives just a few houses from the bridge. Theres a lot of memories.

When council approved its demolition, city officials said the bridge was no longer needed as a school route because Libbey closed in 2010.

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South Toledoans bid adieu to bridge