N obody will remember how much the Main Street bridge cost in a generation or two, Mayor Michael B. Coleman says. People will gather near its one-of-a-kind arch, tilted 10 degrees north up the Scioto River like a jump rope on a perpetual down- swing. They’ll hold festivals on its separate pedestrian deck — a “balcony for the city” in the words of bridge designer Spiro Pollalis — or they’ll just take a walk there and admire the skyline. They won’t remember that the bridge was finished more than four years late at triple the cost projected when Coleman first picked the design. What started as a $19.5 million bridge will end up consuming $60.1 mil- lion in federal, state and local tax dollars by the time it opens this week. Coleman has an answer to those who say it’s too 07-25-2010 PAGE A1 WWW.DISPATCH.COM SUNDAY ,J ULY 25, 2010 High 86 Low 65 Details B8 $2.00 PRETTY. COSTLY. The price has climbed past $60 million for the landmark new Main Street bridge. TOM DODGE DISPATCH After nine years and $60.1 million, the bridge Mayor Michael B. Coleman calls a symbol for Columbus will finally open to traffic this week. By Doug Caruso and Robert Vitale | THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH See BRIDGE Page A4 NEW YORK — Does that smart phone in your pocket contribute to rape and murder in the depths of Africa? Soon, you’ll know: A new U.S. law requires companies to certify whether their products contain minerals from rebel-con- trolled mines in Congo and sur- rounding countries. It’s a move aimed at starving the rebels of funds and encouraging them to lay down their arms. But experts doubt the law will stop the fighting. Furthermore, they say, it could deprive hundreds of thousands of desperately poor Congolese of their incomes and disrupt the economy of an area that’s struggling for stability after more than a decade of war. “For many, many people, it’s the only livelihood they have,” said METAL MINES Conflict-free cell phones might not help Congo By Peter Svensson ASSOCIATED PRESS See CONGO Page A6 Today, The Dis- patch continues a once-a-month series looking at Ohio’s race for governor through the eyes of voters in five precincts scattered across the state. The five were chosen from more than 11,000 Ohio precincts because they were precise barom- eters of statewide results in the 2002 and 2006 governor’s races, each coming within a percentage point of the outcome. LOCKLAND, Ohio — Ron Kehrer remembers the days when he could walk a few blocks from his house and shop for pretty much whatever he needed. Most of those stores in this village of 3,500 near Cincinnati have long since closed, and the crumbling remains of the old Stearns & Foster mattress factory, where hundreds once worked, still loom nearby. Kehrer, a retired state corrections officer, says he doesn’t know much about Republican John Villagers split on who can save Ohio’s limp economy By Mark Niquette THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH See LOCKLAND Page A4 If your stomach’s aching for tongue-tingling cheese-on-a-stick or a massive roasted turkey leg, your cravings are about to be realized. The gigantic carnival that is the Ohio State Fair opens Wednesday for the 156th time. Last week, workers raised polka-dot tents, filled fishing ponds, lined up metal rabbit cages and assembled roller coasters in preparation for the 12-day show at the fairgrounds. And somewhere, a farmer gave a humungous homegrown pumpkin its last meal before preparing to haul it to the fair for the Great Pumpkin Weigh Off. Most attractions at this year’s fair are tried-and- true: the bright-yellow 140-foot-long Giant Slide; the State fair holds a few new cards See FAIR Page A12 TOM DODGE DISPATCH Hope Archer takes down bananas to make room for crayons at one of the Ohio State Fair game booths. By Kathy Lynn Gray | THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH An additional 500 people are about to be cut off from a program that pays for their HIV medica- tions, prompting concern that more Ohioans will go without the drugs that keep them healthy and lower the risk they’ll transmit the virus to others. The state is nailing down details for a plan to offer help only to the sickest HIV patients, said Jay Ca- rey, management analyst for the Ryan White Program, administered by the Ohio Department of Health. The plan is to limit eligibility either to those with a CD4 count of 500 or below or to those whose count has dropped below 200 at BUDGET CUTS More HIV patients lose state support By Misti Crane THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH See HIV Page A14 Front St. S. High St. W. Broad St. Main St. Mound St. Rich St. Town St. COSI 71 70 300 FEET N BICENTENNIAL PARK STATEHOUSE CITY HALL St. t. h St S High St S High St. S. High S. High W. Bro Main a . Main St. a S S u Mo o S Mound o St. St Rich St. ch S Town St. w S CO OS OSI 71 70 300 FEET N BICENTENNIAL N ENNIAL AL E PARK R RK ATEHOUSE ST TA H US Main Street bridge Scioto River PEDESTRIAN, CYCLING DECK 18 feet HNTB, DLZ SIDEWALK 5 feet ˙ PEDESTRIAN, CYCLING DECK ROADWAY THREE TRAFFIC LANES Two eastbound, 11 and 12 feet; one westbound, 12 feet The money The design | FEDERAL $8.6 million STATE $25.1 million CITY $23.3 million MORPC $7.4 million What’s distinctive about the bridge: INCLINED ARCH The rib-tied steel arch is slanted 10 degrees from vertical. SEPARATE SPANS A deck for pedestri- ans and cyclists on the north side bends off from the roadway. Where the money is coming from: Columbus’ new Main Street bridge is the only one of its kind in North America. LENGTH 662 FEET LOOKING WEST DIMENSIONS ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ TOM BAKER | DISPATCH GRAPHICS ORIGINAL 2002 ESTIMATE | $19.5 million COST AS OF LAST WEEK | $60.1 million FUNDS AVAILABLE | $64.4 million More value for the way you live. sm More value for the way 88 ¢ 88 88 ¢ Sale Sale The Living Room Experts. BLUE JACKETS, ANTON STRALMAN SEEM HEADED FOR THE TEAM’S FIRST ARBITRATION HEARING SPORTS, C1 Taliban says it has 2 missing American sailors; 5 troops killed elsewhere in Afghanistan A3 Building a better basement HOME & GARDEN, H1 PubDate: 07-25-2010 Page: 1A Edition: 1 Replate: User: kmetts Color:C M Y K
Transcript
Nobody will remember how much the Main Street bridge cost in ageneration or two, Mayor Michael B. Coleman says.
People will gather near its one-of-a-kind arch, tilted 10 degreesnorth up the Scioto River like a jump rope on a perpetual down-
swing. They’ll hold festivals on its separate pedestrian deck — a “balconyfor the city” in the words of bridge designer Spiro Pollalis — or they’ll justtake a walk there and admire the skyline.
They won’t remember that the bridge was finished more than four yearslate at triple the cost projected when Coleman first picked the design.What started as a $19.5 million bridge will end up consuming $60.1 mil-lion in federal, state and local tax dollars by the time it opens this week.
Coleman has an answer to those who say it’s too
07-25-2010 PAGE A1
W W W . D I S P A T C H . C O M
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010
High 86 �Low 65Details B8 $2.00
�
PRETTY. COSTLY.The price has climbed past $60 million for
the landmark new Main Street bridge.
TOM DODGE DISPATCH
After nine years and $60.1 million, the bridge Mayor Michael B. Coleman calls a symbol for Columbus will finally open to traffic this week.
By Doug Caruso and Robert Vitale | THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
See BRIDGE Page A4
NEW YORK — Does that smartphone in your pocket contributeto rape and murder in the depthsof Africa? Soon, you’ll know: A newU.S. law requires companies tocertify whether their productscontain minerals from rebel-con-trolled mines in Congo and sur-rounding countries.
It’s a move aimed at starving therebels of funds and encouragingthem to lay down their arms.
But experts doubt the law willstop the fighting. Furthermore,they say, it could deprive hundredsof thousands of desperately poorCongolese of their incomes anddisrupt the economy of an areathat’s struggling for stability aftermore than a decade of war.
“For many, many people, it’s theonly livelihood they have,” said
METAL MINES
Conflict-freecell phonesmight nothelp CongoBy Peter SvenssonASSOCIATED PRESS
See CONGO Page A6
Today, The Dis-patch continues aonce-a-month serieslooking at Ohio’s racefor governor throughthe eyes of voters infive precincts scatteredacross the state. Thefive were chosen frommore than 11,000 Ohioprecincts because theywere precise barom-eters of statewideresults in the 2002 and2006 governor’s races,each coming within apercentage point of theoutcome.
LOCKLAND, Ohio — Ron Kehrer remembersthe days when he could walk a few blocks fromhis house and shop for pretty much whatever heneeded.
Most of those stores in this village of 3,500near Cincinnati have long since closed, and thecrumbling remains of the old Stearns & Fostermattress factory, where hundreds once worked,still loom nearby.
Kehrer, a retired state corrections officer, sayshe doesn’t know much about Republican John
Villagers split on who cansave Ohio’s limp economy
By Mark NiquetteTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
See LOCKLAND Page A4
If your stomach’s aching for tongue-tinglingcheese-on-a-stick or a massive roasted turkey leg,your cravings are about to be realized.
The gigantic carnival that is the Ohio State Fairopens Wednesday for the 156th time. Last week,workers raised polka-dot tents, filled fishing ponds,lined up metal rabbit cages and assembled rollercoasters in preparation for the 12-day show at thefairgrounds.
And somewhere, a farmer gave a humungoushomegrown pumpkin its last meal before preparingto haul it to the fair for the Great Pumpkin Weigh Off.
Most attractions at this year’s fair are tried-and-true: the bright-yellow 140-foot-long Giant Slide; the
State fair holds a few new cards
See FAIR Page A12
TOM DODGE DISPATCH
Hope Archer takes down bananas to make room forcrayons at one of the Ohio State Fair game booths.
By Kathy Lynn Gray | THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
An additional 500 people areabout to be cut off from a programthat pays for their HIV medica-tions, prompting concern thatmore Ohioans will go without thedrugs that keep them healthy andlower the risk they’ll transmit thevirus to others.
The state is nailing down detailsfor a plan to offer help only to thesickest HIV patients, said Jay Ca-rey, management analyst for theRyan White Program, administeredby the Ohio Department of Health.
The plan is to limit eligibilityeither to those with a CD4 count of500 or below or to those whosecount has dropped below 200 at
BUDGET CUTS
More HIVpatientslose statesupportBy Misti CraneTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
See HIV Page A14
Front St.
S. High S
t.
W. Broad St.
Main St.
Mound St.
Rich St.
Town St.
COSI
7170
300
FEETN
BICENTENNIALPARK
STATEHOUSE
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BICENTENNIALNENNIALALEPARKRRK
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Main Streetbridge
SciotoRiver
PEDESTRIAN, CYCLING DECK18 feet
HNTB, DLZ
SIDEWALK5 feet
˙
PEDESTRIAN, CYCLING DECK
ROADWAY THREE TRAFFIC LANESTwo eastbound, 11 and 12 feet;one westbound, 12 feet
The moneyThe design |
FEDERAL $8.6 million
STATE$25.1 million
CITY$23.3 million
MORPC$7.4 million
What’s distinctive about the bridge:
INCLINED ARCHThe rib-tied steel arch is slanted 10 degrees from vertical.
SEPARATE SPANSA deck for pedestri-ans and cyclists on the north side bends off from the roadway.
Where the money is coming from:
Columbus’ new Main Street bridge is the only one of its kind in North America.
LENGTH 662 FEET LOOKING WESTDIMENSIONS
˙
˙
˙ ˙
TOM BAKER | DISPATCH GRAPHICS
ORIGINAL 2002 ESTIMATE | $19.5 millionCOST AS OF LAST WEEK | $60.1 millionFUNDS AVAILABLE | $64.4 million
More value for the way you live.smMore value for the way
88¢8888¢SaleSale
The Living Room Experts.
BLUE JACKETS, ANTON STRALMAN SEEM HEADED FOR THE TEAM’S FIRST ARBITRATION HEARING SPORTS, C1
Taliban says it has 2 missing American sailors; 5 troops killed elsewhere in Afghanistan A3
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expensive or took too long: “Iimagine they said the samething about the BrooklynBridge.”
Did we just buy the Brook-lyn Bridge?
In 1995, the old Main Streetbridge was crumbling. Theconcrete structure finished in1937 was at the end of its life,engineers told the City Coun-cil at the time, and it was timeto replace it or repair it. Theysaid the bridge could bereplaced for $9 million, de-spite the fact that a new,no-frills Broad Street bridgejust up the river had cost$13.2 million just a few yearsearlier. In 2001, the city hiredengineering firm DLZ, ofColumbus, to begin plans fora new Main Street bridge. Themayor reached out to Pollalis,who was designing sweepingarched bridges in Europe,and asked the engineeringfirm to bring him on as asubcontractor.
A professor of design, tech-nology and management atthe Harvard School of De-sign, Pollalis had written abook called What Is a Bridge?In it, he argued that bridgescan be more than a means tocross a river. They can pro-vide a focal point for eco-nomic development. Theycan draw people to a placeand help them enjoy it. Theycan be art.
Those are the same argu-ments Coleman continues tomake for the Main Streetbridge, which will connectthe underdeveloped south-ern end of Downtown withFranklinton and the long-struggling West Side.
“I want this bridge to serveas a catalyst for economicdevelopment and all thethings we’re trying to ac-complish on both sides of theriver,” Coleman said lastweek. “I wanted somethingmore than a slab of con-crete.”
A slab was good enough in1986 when then-FranklinCounty Engineer John Circlebegan planning a new bridgefor Broad Street.
“We want to provide afunctional bridge with alimited amount put onlooks,” Circle said back thenof the span that would openin 1992. “People wantinganything beyond that hadbetter have a way to pay forit.”
In June 2002, DLZ offeredthree options for replacingthe Main Street bridge, in-cluding a bare-bones designfor $17 million. There was
some disagreement on whatPollalis’ inclined-arch designwould cost. DLZ at first esti-mated more than $40 million,but Pollalis argued it wouldcost half that.
Eventually, around thetime Coleman picked Pollalis’design, the official estimatewas set at $19.5 million.
Columbus Public ServiceDirector Mark Kelsey, a for-mer ODOT deputy directorwho came to City Hall in2007, now dismisses thatearly projection as Pollalis’
“off-the-cuff opinion.”If it was ever used officially,
he said, “it was just plainwrong.”
Pollalis said last week thathe thought the steel structurecould have been manufac-tured in Spain for less money.But under federal buy-Amer-ican laws, steel for the MainStreet bridge had to bebought and shaped in theUnited States.
By the end of 2003, engi-neers had recalculated.Among other things, they
needed a million morepounds of steel and muchmore concrete. The estimat-ed construction price had hit$41.5 million.
In 2004, as steel and con-crete prices spiked, estimatestopped $53 million. Pollaliswas off the project.
Kelsey, then following theproject from ODOT head-quarters, said city and stateofficials reached an “oh-my-God moment.”
Coleman remembersmeeting with engineers andadvisers in his City Hall con-ference room, looking at thenumbers sometime in 2004or 2005.
“What we decided — and Imade the decision — was tomove forward with the largerpurpose, knowing this wasgoing to cost much morethan we had anticipated,much of it beyond our con-trol,” he said.
Officials would maintainmany of Pollalis’ concepts:the inclined arch, the sep-arate vehicle and pedestriandecks, “but we toned downmany of the things he want-ed.”
Coleman said sticking withthe original plan might havecost $120 million, making thecurrent $60.1 million tab arelative bargain. That$120 million figure can’t befound in the city’s docu-ments. Coleman wouldn’t saywhat price between the twofigures would have causedhim to scrap the inclinedarch altogether.
But saving money also costmoney. Columbus paid anextra $2.9 million to DLZ toincorporate cost-saving mea-sures into the design. Push-ing back the original 2006
completion date because ofhigh steel and concrete pricesended up costing even morebecause prices continued tosoar, Kelsey said.
The city was going to needmore money.
Early on, the Ohio Depart-ment of Transportation saidit would pay no more than$15 million for constructionand $200,000 toward design.The agency since has agreedto pick up $4.7 million ininspection fees.
The city looked elsewhereto pay the mounting cost.Then-U.S. Rep. DeborahPryce pushed through federalearmarks totaling nearly$8.6 million. The Ohio PublicWorks Commission autho-rized $5.2 million for Colum-bus. The Mid-Ohio RegionalPlanning Commission kickedin $7.4 million.
Columbus taxpayers willpay off up to $15 millionborrowed from the StateInfrastructure Bank, as wellas $8.3 million in city bondsfor bridge design.
That put $64.4 million atthe city’s disposal. If the coststays at $60.1 million, Kelseysaid, the city will borrow asmaller amount.
He and Coleman reject the2002 projections of a$19.5 million price tag and2006 opening date as validstarting points for judging thefinal product. The bridge wasbuilt for just $3 million morethan Kokosing ConstructionCo. estimated when it wonthe job in 2006, Kelsey said. Itis opening 13 months latebecause of delays caused bybad weather, high water andunplanned difficulties indemolishing the old bridge.
Coleman makes no apol-ogies for the bridge’s scaleand cost.
He has called it a symbolfor Columbus that will standfor generations. Critics havecalled it a symbol of govern-ment excess, and Repub-licans used the bridge duringtheir unsuccessful 2009 cam-paigns against City Councilincumbents and a local in-come-tax increase.
City officials plan a low-keyopening late this week. Pe-destrians and bicyclists willbe able to cross, but only oneDowntown-bound lane willbe ready for motorists.
Pollalis said he’s happywith the finished project eventhough he didn’t agree withall the alterations.
“Cost is important for theperiod,” he said last weekfrom Athens, Greece. “No-body thinks today what theParthenon cost.”
The one-of-a-kind bridge, marked by its inclined arch, more than tripled in cost during itsdesign and construction. Officials hope the bridge will stimulate more development.
BRIDGEFROM PAGE A1
STEEL: In 2003, engineers determined that the bridge needed an additional 1.1 million pounds of steel, mostly for the arch.ADDED COST: $4.2 million
CONCRETE: That plan also added 2,500 cubic yards of high-stress concrete.ADDED COST: $2.1 million
DEMOLITION: During demolition of the old bridge, divers with cutting torches and explosives experts were called in to remove steel forms that had been left around the concrete pylons.ADDED COST: $620,000
TEMPORARY SUPPORTS: Designers hadn’t considered the cost of temporary supports for the roadway and pedestrian walkways while the arch was put in place. The supports needed to withstand a major flood. ADDED COST: $4.9 million
DESIGN: After the mayor decided to go with the inclined-arch bridge, engineer-
ing firm DLZ’s contract grew from $1.9 million in 2001 to $8.3 million today. That included $1.4 million for initial design of the new bridge, $87,000 to have the design tested in a wind tunnel, $255,000 for the services of Harvard design expert Spiro Pollalis, $2.9 million to redesign the bridge in 2004 and annual increases to cover the firm’s continued work.ADDED COST: $6.4 million
THE ROADWAY: In 2009, the city decided it wanted the bridge to carry two-way traffic across the Scioto River, instead of just from Franklinton into Downtown.ADDED COST: $245,000 (est.)
EXTRAS: The cost of fixing up the area between the Main Street and Town Street bridges on the west side of the river increased from an estimated $500,000 in 2002 to $1.8 million by 2006. Lighting costs increased by more than $455,000. ADDED COST: $1.8 million
Why the costs increased
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Kasich. But, with the econo-my foremost on his mind,he’s leaning toward voting forKasich this fall instead ofDemocratic Gov. Ted Strick-land.
“I’ve seen jobs go, and I’veseen people go,” Kehrer, 67,who considers himself anindependent, said whilesitting on his front porch lastweek. “I’m not sure the otherguy can do any better, but I’llgive anybody a try.”
Walking his dog nearby, JeffRahe said he is a Republicanbut thinks the governor hasdone a good job despite thedeep national recession —especially supporting orga-nized labor.
“I don’t think he can beblamed,” said Rahe, 46, whoworks at Ford’s SharonvilleTransmission Plant outsideCincinnati and is a memberof the United Auto Workers.“Everyone is hurting.”
That difference of opinionwas typical in interviews lastweek with residents in theformer Precinct D in Lock-land, the 160-year-old villagefounded on the former Mia-mi-Erie Canal in HamiltonCounty.
Most people interviewedsaid they weren’t very familiarwith Kasich, and there weremixed views about Strick-land’s performance on whatvirtually everyone said washis or her top issue: jobs andthe economy.
The Dispatch chose theformer Lockland Precinct D,which was absorbed intoother precincts in 2008, togauge opinions about thegovernor’s race this yearbecause the vote there forgovernor in 2002 and 2006nearly matched the actualstatewide results.
When Strickland beatRepublican J. Kenneth Black-well by 23.9 percentagepoints statewide in 2006,
voters in the precinct deviat-ed by just 0.7 percent. Theycame within 1 percent ofRepublican Bob Taft’s19.5 percent victory marginagainst Democrat Tim Haganin 2002.
Residents say Locklandonce was a thriving small citythat fell on hard times afterStearns & Foster, three papermills and other businessesbegan to close in the 1970sand 1980s.
Census data show thatresidents in boundaries ofthe former Precinct D are lessaffluent and less educatedthan the rest of the state, butLockland is a solid middle-class community with manypeople coming from Appa-lachian roots, AdministratorDavid Krings said.
He thinks the village ispoised for a comeback, per-haps by redeveloping some ofits acres of vacant industrialproperty.
“I really believe, with anuptick in the economy, Lock-land will benefit greatly,”Krings said.
But the village’s last re-
maining gas station closedrecently, and residents mostlysay they think the local econ-omy is stagnant or gettingworse.
Randy McKinney, 55, saidhe has been a Democrat butis thinking about switchingand voting for Kasich this fallwith hopes he can do betterthan Strickland has in keep-ing and creating jobs.
McKinney pointed up thestreet to a red brick housewhere a man he knows hadlived for 25 years but wasforced to move in with hissister in Kentucky because hecouldn’t find work.
“He’s just dropped the ballon too many things,” McKin-ney, a disabled former Ma-rine, said of Strickland.
But Strickland repeatedlyhas said he can’t be blamedfor the recession and thatpolicies supported by Repub-licans and Kasich when hewas in Congress led to it. JackBurdine, 49, mostly agrees.
“I know it’s not all hisfault,” Burdine said of thegovernor. “I think Stricklandcould have done more, butthings got out of control.”
Keith Brumley, 35, lives inthe former Lockland PrecinctD and manages Joe’s Burgersand Breakfast Cafe on MillStreet. He said he isn’t sureyet whom he’ll support.
Brumley doesn’t blameStrickland for the loss of jobsbut isn’t sure Kasich could doany better.
“It seems to get better, thenit gets worse,” he said. “Weget a good run for two weeks,then the next three weeksaren’t good.”
Taking a break outside ofthe Valley Radiator shop thathis brother has owned since1959, Gary Holmes said hedoesn’t care whether Demo-crats or Republicans are moreresponsible for the jobs loss.He just wants some results.
“They’re both to blame,”said Holmes, 66. “Someone’sgot to fix the problem.”
