VIDEO: Crain Avenue Bridge Closes Wednesday

Construction for the new will force the closure of its neighbor starting Wednesday.

The Crain Avenue Bridge will close until Monday, July 25, so workers can finish the final elevation raise for the ABC Railroad tracks, which run parallel to North Water Street and serve the Star of the West Mill in downtown Kent.

Detours will be posted.

Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling said in a citywide memo the bridge must be closed because the tracks cross its eastern landing point.

"The original plans called for incremental raising of the rail lines without shutting down the Crain Avenue Bridge," Bowling said. "However, due to numerous factors including coordination with the railroads, underground utilities, hazardous materials and weather delays the method of raising the tracks required changing."

The tracks are being raised because the new bridge stands taller than its predecessor in order to give more clearance for trains running below on the CSX Transportation Co. tracks, which run alongside the Cuyahoga River.