The Ryan Lane Bridge will be replaced. After an accident May 3rd on the Ryan Lane Bridge that left one driver injured, the bridge was closed and is not expected to re-open until replaced. The accident involved two vehicles, a car driven by John Spencer of Brookfield, who was not injured, and a pick-up driven by Ola Roberts of Bosworth, who went off the north side of the bridge and received serious injuries. When the Roberts vehicle went off the bridge and landed below the bridge, it caused damage to the structure.
Chillicothe City Administrator Darin Chappell closed the bridge that night and permanent barricades were put in place a couple of days later. Chappell says the bridge will be replaced, but it will take some time.
Chappell says a problem they face is the question of ownership.
A new bridge would require longer approaches on both sides to reach the necessary height. It would also need to be wider to accommodate two-way traffic.
He says a grade crossing may sound like a better solution, but it presents other problems.
A new bridge would likely be similar to the bridge on Route V that replace the Bridge Street bridge. That bridge took five years from discussion to financing to engineering to construction. The city hopes the Ryan Lane Bridge can be replaced in a couple of years.
