After two roll over accidents in one day, one of the city's oldest and most iconic bridges is being investigated.
On Thursday, two vehicles rolled in separate accidents on the Center Street swing bridge, one of Cleveland's century-old connectors over the Cuyahoga River.
Police said alcohol was likely a factor in one of the crashes.
But a newsnet5.com investigation uncovered reports of at least nine accidents on the bridge over the last three years. Most occurred on the entrance or exit to the swing bridge and involved bumping into walls or barriers.
Cleveland State University Civil Engineer Norbert Delatte said speed and narrow construction is likely the biggest culprit.
"You’ve a lot of tight sharp turns, narrow streets,: Delatte said. "You just can't take them too fast."
Built in 1901, Delatte explained that the bridge was build with smaller width standards than are used today.
"You’re dealing with routes that were fixed for smaller trucks, smaller cars and you have to live with those geometrics," Delatte said. "The way that's controlled is with your warnings and your speed limits."
But there are no speed limit signs leading up to east side of the bridge. The next sign doesn't appear until drivers have already passed over the bridge.
Jacquelynn Fulkerson, who works at the Flat Iron Cafe across the street, said she witnesses speeding on a regular basis.
"We see people speeding through all the time," Fulkerson said. "People blow the stop sign and they go flying over the bridge."
Delatte said that structurally, there does not appear to be anything unsafe about the bridge or its capacity to swing open. He said additional speed signs could be added to reinforce the appropriate speed.
The bridge is one of two swing span bridges in the state and currently the only operable one.
