CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Transportation began demolition this week on the closed 1959 Inner Belt Bridge.

The bridge’s concrete barriers, lights and railings are being removed first, followed by the removal of the deck using traditional methods. Once that is complete, several spans of the bridge, east of the Cuyahoga River, will be removed by a controlled demolition using explosives.

Construction of the second new bridge, which will carry eastbound traffic, will begin after the demolition of the old bridge is completed this summer. ODOT expects the second bridge will open in the fall of 2016.

The pair of new bridges have been named in honor of George V. Voinovich.

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