All-American Bridge
Encyclopedia
The All-America Bridge in Akron
, Ohio
is a viaduct
carrying Ohio State Route 261 over the Little Cuyahoga River that splits into a one-way pair
. Constructed 1981–1982, the bridge was named in recognition of Akron's past All-America City Award
s and is also locally known as the Y-Bridge. The bridge is 134 feet tall in its highest location.
The bridge's predecessor, the 1922 North Hill Viaduct, was closed in 1977 after a collapse killed three. The poem Under The North Hill Viaduct was written by Rita Dove
.
Over its existence, the bridge has been the site of at least one suicide a year (police records are incomplete). From 1997 until December 3, 2009, 29 people committed suicide by jumping from the bridge.
In 2009, it was announced that $1 million to $1.5 million would be spent to fence the bridge using federal economic stimulus funds
. Fencing the bridge was controversial in Akron and the plan had previously failed to receive local support. Previous local attempts to fence the bridge failed in 1991, 1993, 2000 and 2006. The project was expected to be completed by September 2010 but was stopped for the winter of 2010-2011.
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
is a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
carrying Ohio State Route 261 over the Little Cuyahoga River that splits into a one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
. Constructed 1981–1982, the bridge was named in recognition of Akron's past All-America City Award
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States.The oldest community recognition program in the nation, the award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon...
s and is also locally known as the Y-Bridge. The bridge is 134 feet tall in its highest location.
The bridge's predecessor, the 1922 North Hill Viaduct, was closed in 1977 after a collapse killed three. The poem Under The North Hill Viaduct was written by Rita Dove
Rita Dove
Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and author. From 1993-1995 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now popularly known as "U.S. Poet Laureate"...
.
Over its existence, the bridge has been the site of at least one suicide a year (police records are incomplete). From 1997 until December 3, 2009, 29 people committed suicide by jumping from the bridge.
In 2009, it was announced that $1 million to $1.5 million would be spent to fence the bridge using federal economic stimulus funds
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. Fencing the bridge was controversial in Akron and the plan had previously failed to receive local support. Previous local attempts to fence the bridge failed in 1991, 1993, 2000 and 2006. The project was expected to be completed by September 2010 but was stopped for the winter of 2010-2011.
External links
- Fencing the Y-Bridge – Akron Beacon Journal special section