Fence Book

New bridge fence - expanded metalIt won't be known as the "Suicide Bridge" anymore.

City officials say people won't be able to scale a new, much-debated fence that soon will be installed on the All-America Bridge (Y-Bridge.)

The fence, which when combined with a concrete wall will stand at 10 feet, will be made of steel, with small diamond-shaped openings too small for climbing.

Akron City Council members, who got their first glimpse of what the updated bridge will look like Monday, voted to seek bids on the project.

''This has been a long time coming,'' said Jim Shealey, an at-large councilman who pushed for the fence as a councilman in Ward 5, where the bridge is located.

Shealey said city officials' main concern was giving people ''the opportunity to make another choice'' besides jumping to their deaths.

''That's what this fence will do,'' he said.

The project is expected to cost $9.8 million — most of which will go toward structural improvements to the 28-year-old bridge and will come from federal stimulus funds. The fence portion, which some have argued is a waste of money, is expected to cost about $1.5 million.

To those who have raised concerns about the cost, Shealey said: ''When you're talking about saving a life, I think it's well worth it. The value of life is more important than that money.''

Shealey said the fence also was needed because of the people who live under the bridge and have had to deal with the aftermath of a suicide. He said these residents were concerned about
children being traumatized.

City officials have said that any bridge built today would be required to have a fence.

The cost of the project was originally pegged at $7.5 million. The price tag went up after a closer inspection revealed more repairs are needed. The city was able to get more stimulus money to make up the difference.

''As the cost went up, so did the federal money to take care of the cost,'' said Chuck Heimbaugh, Akron's capital planning manager.

Paying the tab

The project will be paid with $7.9 million in stimulus funds and $1 million in federal bridge funds. The city will sell notes to fund the rest — about $890,000, said Ken Kostura, Akron's manager of engineering administrative services.

The fence, which will have openings that are about three-fourths of an inch, won't obstruct the view, Kostura said.

The city consulted with an architect and state officials in deciding what material to use for the fence. The material that was chosen will have a special coating that will protect it from the elements.

''We ran it by ODOT [the Ohio Department of Transportation],'' said Akron Engineer Ralph Coletta. ''This will be the new type of fence put up.''

The fence won't be curved at the top.

Other improvements to the bridge include using a high-pressure water jet to remove the top layer of the concrete decking and resurfacing it, installing new joints, and repairing the steel on the underside of the deck, Kostura said.

The work is expected to begin in August and last until September 2010.

During construction, one side of the bridge will be kept open — with two-way traffic — while work is done on the other side.

Between 18,000 and 20,000 vehicles use the bridge daily, according to city officials.

The project moving forward was welcome news for one Akron family that has been urging the addition of the fence.

Bob Conley, whose brother, Kevin, committed suicide by jumping from the bridge in 2006, thanked city officials during Monday's council meeting.

''We can now rest knowing other families won't have to go through what we've gone through,'' he said.