(Toledo, OH) Sewer construction in downtown Toledo will close the Martin Luther King Bridge later this year.
The MLK Bridge connecting downtown Toledo and East Toledo will close for about 45 days starting in late September. The mayor's office says the drawbridge must close to connect a large sewer overflow pipe to a five-million gallon storage bin under International Park, as part of the Toledo Waterways Initiative.
That long-term project is federally-mandated work to stop the flow of raw sewage and other pollution into the Maumee River and other waterways.
Toledo city officials had considered shutting down the MLK Bridge as early as Monday, but that would have had a drastic economic impact on the busy summer season at The Docks restaurant complex and other seasonal businesses.
The closure won't affect the popular Frogtown Regatta, to be held two days before the bridge closes. The suggested detour in the fall will be the Craig Memorial Bridge.