Bridging It

Who knew that a tour of the bowels of a bridge would be so popular?

The bridge celebrates its 100th year

Last Saturday, thousands of Clevelanders were permitted to enter the lower level of Detroit-Superior Bridge for a self-guided tour. This used to be an annual event. But repairs made over the last four years had derailed the tour. (Pun intended, thanks.)

Mr. and I queued up with a lot of other folks and their families to walk back and forth along the lower level of the bridge to see what we could see. This is the area where streetcars (AKA trolleys) carried passengers into and out of Downtown Cleveland. The streetcars ran from 1917 until 1954, when the automobile effectively eliminated its once-robust ridership. Just to note, the upper level still carries car/bicycle/foot traffic.

As well as enjoying a good stretch of the legs, we got a view of downtown that was enjoyed on a daily basis by commuters back in the day. I sensed the ghosts of Clevelanders past, imagined their feelings as they rode to work or to do a little shopping. Or maybe they were on their way to school or a baseball game at League Park. What were their worries? Their dreams? Their joys? The streetcars were in service through two world wars and the Great Depression. I imagine folks had a lot on their minds besides what to make for dinner.

We saw the place where the overhead wires lived that carried the electric power that drove the cars. The front of a streetcar. The recessed lighting in the walls. And the concrete and steel that came together to create this wondrous structure.

The tour complete, we headed for the exit.

As we walked along the tunnel with the white tiled walls that led us out, I thought about the other feet that walked this way decades earlier.

Up the stairs and into the sunlight. Back to hearth and home.