CINCINNATI – Crews from the City of Cincinnati on Tuesday inspected and addressed a trouble spot on a pair of columns on the north side of the Western Hills Viaduct. Some of the concrete that surrounds the columns broke loose and fell into the westbound curb lane Monday. 

The temporary lane closure in place to allow crews to access the spot has been removed and all traffic is moving normally. No injuries or property damage were reported from the debris that fell onto the roadway. 

It was the second instance of concrete breaking loose from the viaduct in a week. The first trouble spot, which also has been repaired, was along an expansion joint on the top deck. 

“We’re grateful this second issue was contained and that neither issue resulted in any injuries or property damage,” Bill Shefcik, the city’s manager for the Western Hills Viaduct Replacement Project, said, adding that the location of the columns underneath expansion joints makes them susceptible to water damage from above.

The 91-year-old viaduct has multiple pairs of double columns on the bottom deck that are positioned beneath expansion joints along the top deck. Over time, water and road salt has seeped through the top deck’s expansion joints onto the columns below. Runoff weakens the concrete that encases the columns, causing some of it to delaminate and crumble into the gap between the two columns. As a result of Sunday night’s colder temperatures, the concrete-encased columns shrunk enough that some of the loose concrete wedged in between was released and fell onto the roadway.

Shefcik and his team of bridge engineers routinely check for loose concrete and note spots they think may eventually break loose, typically in early spring and again in the fall. The team reviews potential trouble spots if conditions change and additional inspections are warranted.

“We will continue to be vigilant, especially when there are big temperature swings,” Shefcik added.

The city’s primary bridge inspection engineer for maintaining the viaduct on Tuesday inspected all 24 locations with double columns and identified four more locations that warrant review. The team plans to return soon to investigate further and mitigate any issues, as needed.  
 
Although the viaduct remains safe to travel, Shefcik said he and his team are discussing other precautions to help mitigate future problem spots, such as additional netting to catch loose debris. Netting was installed above the Spring Grove Avenue intersection in 2021 because it is the highest overhead spot on the viaduct and is difficult to reach for inspections and chipping off loose concrete.

The city and Hamilton County are leading the effort to replace the existing viaduct. The $398 million project is fully funded. The designer T Y Lin International and construction manager Walsh Kokosing Joint Venture are in the process of developing detailed designs and other construction-related plans. Construction of the new viaduct is expected to begin in 2025. The existing viaduct will remain in place until the new viaduct is completed in 2030.

Read more about the viaduct and the plan to replace it.