Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black says the pedestrian bridge connecting Music Hall with the city-owned Town Center Garage will soon be demolished.
"Based on the most recent inspection, it has become more evident that the superstructure of the bridge has reached a point of deterioration requiring its demolition," Black writes in a memo Monday. "At the recommendation of our structural engineers, this is being pursued as expeditiously as possible."
The city has temporarily blocked two lanes of traffic on Central Parkway because of safety concerns about the structure.
The city's Department of Transportation and Engineering has been conducting bimonthly inspections on the pedestrian bridge. The most recent one found several floor beams are severely deteriorated.
Last year, the city started working with O'Rourke Construction on plans to remove the bridge. Officials will be working to finalize costs and schedule a start date for the work.
The bridge's supporting piers and foundations will remain in place until the city and stakeholders decide whether to replace it or eliminate it.
Another recent memo suggested that once Music Hall re-opens this fall after a major renovation, buses will be used to shuttle people parking in the Town Center Garage to events. If that plan works, then the pedestrian bridge will likely not be replaced.
