Freeway bridges in Wickliffe to be completed by this fall

Marah Morrison, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Apr. 8—The final completion of the Rt. 2 bridges in Wickliffe are on schedule to be done by the end of October.

Last year, ODOT completed the north bridge and work on the south bridge over Worden Road has begun, said Mayor Joe Sakacs.

"They've started work on top, but they're going to close down the southbound lane," he said. "They wanted to shut down both lanes, but the fire chief got them to allow us to have the northbound only for emergency services."

The road closure will start April 10.

"This time next year, we'll have new, safe, freeway bridges," Sakacs said. "They gotta stripe Lakeland (Boulevard), but that'll be a two-hour project sometime in May."

The city is putting nearly $2 million in their road projects this year. This year's repairs include E. 294th St., south of Euclid Avenue, Silver Street and Park Street. Installing new water and sewer lines will be part of redoing E. 296th St., as well as paving new sidewalks, curbs and aprons. Dennis Drive and Stanford Drive will also be paved.

"Addressing more roads was one of my main goals," Sakacs said. "Infrastructure is so important with the sewers and the roads, so that's getting addressed. That is exciting, happy news."

The city is also addressing a set of railroad tracks on Lloyd Road. The tracks will soon be shut down for a couple of days to replace the rubber material.

"I know that'll be a little bit of a zig zag to go around, but much needed to keep the tracks safe," Sakacs said.

The city has plans to redo the courtyard in Coulby Park, a location where many come for photographs. The courtyard will also be getting a new fountain. Green Ridge Golf Course renovations are being done in house as well, which saves on the cost, Sakacs said.

"I want so many things addressed that were neglected in the past," he said, noting that getting the sense of pride back in Wickliffe is important to him.

The city's new website is set to launch this summer. The website is intended to be more user friendly and easier to navigate, Sakacs said.

"Everything's going to be uniformed," he said. "This was a year and a half project to get that addressed, but our website we use now is very archaic and needed changed."