The agency is still trying to determine exactly how long the delay will be and how much over budget the project will end up.
The estimated cost of the bridge has increased from $5.1 million originally to a current $5.4 million.
The 1,000-foot bridge was built in 1970 and spans Buck Creek and a railroad line just north of downtown.
Some businesses along its northern end, which becomes North Limestone Street, have felt its effects.
“These people at the (central Long John Silver’s) office, they don’t know the bridge is down,” Kathlee Tomidajewicz, a manager at Long John Silver’s on North Limestone. “I have a lot of older customers, and if they don’t know how to get here, they don’t come.”
Advance Auto Parts nearby has experienced a rise in sales and customers in the past year, according to its manager. But Bill Ardle, who owns Schneider’s Florist, hasn’t had the same luck.
“We will be really glad when it’s all over,” Ardle said. “But it’s something that has to be done. I guess there’s no perfect time.”
In the coldest parts of winter, Ardle said his staff couldn’t see anyone working on the bridge.
“We were all pretty happy when we started seeing them out there again,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0353 and at bsmith@coxohio.com.
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