ODOT commits to installing safety fencing on Route 82 bridge to deter suicides
by Erica Peterson
The Route 82 high-level bridge that connects Sagamore Hills to Brecksville over the Cuyahoga River is an iconic structure, so much so that its image is included in the township’s logo.
When Sagamore Hills police responded to three suicides off the state-owned bridge over a three-week period in June, the trustees immediately reached out to neighboring officials to get help in asking the state to respond to the crisis.
With the support of Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby and state Rep. Bill Roemer, the Ohio Department of Transportation agreed with the township’s request to install protective fencing around the bridge by next year to help prevent further tragedies.
According to a July 1 email to Roemer from ODOT District 4 Public Information Officer Justin Chesnic, the district “had been made aware of the situation” regarding the bridge and “is planning on adding an anti-climb fence along this bridge as part of an upcoming bridge maintenance project.”
The project is in the design phase, Chesnic wrote, and should be awarded to a contractor in November. Construction is expected to occur late this year or early next year and be completed by October 2021.
The state is picking up the cost for the fencing, estimated to be $200,000.
Sagamore Hills Trustee Paul Schweikert said there have been suicides and attempts from the bridge in the past. In the 1990s, he said, trustees asked ODOT for help in barricading the bridge to prevent people from jumping. But the answer was no.
“They have a new director now, and maybe they have more funding now,” Schweikert said.
Roemer said he understands that at the time, the state believed the cost was too significant for the perceived benefits of such a project.
“People take a different tone with suicide now than they did 30 years ago,” he said.
In years past, the trustees kept news about incidents quiet, Schweikert said, in an effort to prevent other suicide attempts.
“We kept it low-key because we never wanted to give someone else who is depressed the idea,” he said.
But after the suicides in June, Trustee Dave DePasquale knew he had to convince the state to do something about it.
“That was definitely the catalyst,” he said. “It was way too many deaths in such a short period a time.
“Any loss of life is horrific, especially if there is a way to deter it or stop it. And a fence would definitely deter it.”
DePasquale was particularly affected by the third death, which was of a 15-year-old from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights school district.
“I have children around that age, and it really hit home hard,” he said. “When a child thinks that’s the way out, something needs to be done. Our request had fallen on deaf ears in the past, but it was time to try again.”
He and his fellow trustees reached out Hruby, Roemer and Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Craig Kenkel, since the bridge spans over the CVNP, to help bolster the township’s request to ODOT.
Hruby had already taken action, contacting Brecksville-Broadview Heights Superintendent School Superintendent Joelle Magyar and the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, DePasquale said.
“I want to thank all involved, especially Hruby, who was ahead of the curve on this issue and was of like mind in pursuing this issue,” he said.
The officials were ready to ask for a meeting with ODOT, but it was not necessary, as the agency agreed to install fencing. Roemer contacted ODOT District 4 on June 26 to discuss the project, and they responded with their commitment to the project on July 1.
DePasquale hopes the fencing not only deters future incidents but also raises awareness about suicide.
The five-span arch bridge was built in 1930 and is included on the National Register of Historic Places. While the protective fencing may change the look of the bridge, he said saving lives outweighs any concerns about aesthetics. “Yes, the fence might disrupt the view from the bridge, but hopefully it stops such senseless loss of life,” DePasquale said. “That is much more important.”
Feature image photo caption: The Ohio Department of Transportation will add anti-climb fencing to the high-level Route 82 bridge that connects Sagamore Hills to Brecksville over the Cuyahoga River. Photo by M. Gabarik
