This Friday, June 23, Cuyahoga County executive Chris Ronayne and other officials will host a public conversation about creating public access to the lower level—the subway deck—of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The community conversation from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. will encourage residents and local leaders to share their visions for creating public access to the underside of the bridge. Feedback and ideas will be used to design plans for the bridge’s future and how it could become a unique public space. The conversation includes a free dinner.

Then on Saturday, June 24, the Veterans Memorial Bridge and Subway Tours return from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last admission at 5:30 p.m.

The free, self-guided tour allows visitors to experience the bridge’s original streetcar station and tracks, as well as views of the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie, and downtown Cleveland.

The ironwork for the main span of the Detroit-Superior (Veterans' Memorial) High-Level Bridge circa. 1915“The Veterans Memorial Bridge has so much historical significance in our community, serving as a major hub for commuter transportation until the discontinuation of streetcar service in 1954,” said Ronayne in a statement.  “Since then, the underside of the bridge has been primarily open for tours—but we know it has more potential. The creation of a park in the sky could be a key east-west multimodal connector and public space for residents.”

Ronayne has made his vision for the lower level of the bridge public since he took over as county commissioner.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge opened on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, 1917. Originally known as the Detroit-Superior Bridge, it was renamed on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1989.

The bridge replaced the 1878 Superior Viaduct (a type of bridge that incorporates a series of arches to carry a road or railroad across a valley), which was originally built to easily move the rapidly growing city traffic across the Cuyahoga River without having to navigate the steep river banks, but had become congested.

Construction on the 5,600-foot Detroit-Superior Bridge began in 1912 and cost nearly $5.3 million to build. Sitting 96 feet above the Cuyahoga River at its center span, the bridge is made up of 12 concrete arches and two decks. The upper deck carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic, while the lower deck, known as “the subway,” carried streetcars on four sets of tracks.

The underside of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (Detroit Superior Bridge)Entrances to the subway were at West 6th Street, West 25th Street, and Detroit Avenue, with passenger stations at each end of the bridge. The streetcars stopped running in 1954 and in 1955 the ramps leading to the level were sealed.

With 70,400 cars crossing the bridge each day by 1930, it was considered one of the busiest bridges in the country. The 1932 completion of the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge (Hope Memorial Bridge) and the 1939 opening of the Main Avenue Bridge helped accommodate the ever-increasing traffic over the Cuyahoga River.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge underwent a $6 million, two-year, renovation in 1967 that added two traffic lanes and narrowed the original 15-foot sidewalks to five feet.

Over the years, there have been various efforts to reopen the lower level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, including a plan led by the Kent State University Urban Design Collaborative; and Ingenuity Cleveland held its popular Ingenuity Fest on the Subway level in 2010. Shortly after taking office as Cuyahoga County Executive in January, Ronayne announced he was exploring options for a “Low-Line Park” on the lower level.  

A streetcar picks up passengers at the West 25th Street subway station located underneath the Detroit-Superior Bridge in 1918 “The streetcar level of the bridge is a hidden treasure,” said Urban Design Collaborative director Terry Schwarz, in a statement. “Over the years, I’ve watched people set foot on the bridge for the first time and immediately be captivated by the space. As Canal Basin Park and Irishtown Bend take shape at either end of the bridge, it’s time to connect the dots.”

The community dialogue on Friday begins at 5 p.m. Dinner is available on a first-come-first-served basis. Gates for Saturday’s tour open at 10 a.m. and the last admission is at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. Food trucks, live entertainment, and educational tables will also be featured during the tour.

The main entrance for both the community conversation and the tour is 2433 Superior Viaduct, at the northeast corner of the West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue intersections. Volunteers will be on-site to assist visitors. 

A signed release form and a valid ID for guests ages 18 and over must be presented for both events. Contact the Department of Public Works with questions about the event at (216) 348-3824, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.