Service on the Cleveland RTA Waterfront line has been suspended indefinitely due to the closing of a bridge that spans the Norfolk Southern tracks just east of the Cuyahoga River.
It is the latest setback for the 2.2-mile line, which saw service suspended for several months last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then shut down again last October due to a track rehabilitation project at Tower City.
RTA said in a statement that a consulting firm found that the bridge needs four interim support towers to stabilize the structure.
These would be considered a temporary fix until a permanent solution to the problem is found and implemented.
The consulting firm had found in a 2018 inspection that the bridge has stress fractures. At the time, RTA responded by limiting traffic on the bridge to one train at a time.
Hardesty & Hanover, which conducted the inspection, recommended that RTA not use the bridge until it is permanently fixed, a process expected to take two years.
RTA has awarded an emergency contract for the support towers with that work expected to be finished in late October.
The most recent inspection of the bridge was conducted this past summer ahead of what RTA expected to a resumption of service on the Waterfront Line.
Hardesty & Hanover has begun design work on a permanent solution fix for the bridge, which RTA expects to pay for with $6 million in federal funding granted by the Federal Transit Administration.
The service suspension means RTA will not be able to provide service directly to FirstEnergy Stadium this year for Cleveland Browns games.
Tags: Cleveland RTA rail service, Cleveland RTA Waterfront Line, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Greater Cleveland RTA, Public transit, Railroad bridges, RTA Waterfront Line, Waterfront Line
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