Grant Street viaduct in Niles to close for repairs

Published 9:37 am Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Grant Street viaduct in Niles will be closed for more than two months while major repairs are made to the structure, according to city officials.

The city-owned viaduct, or bridge, crosses the Amtrak train tracks and is used by many people traveling back and forth from Niles to Buchanan or from Niles to the US-31 Bypass. Grant Street becomes Niles-Buchanan Road once it leaves city limits.

“People will be just about as worked up over that one as they were Main Street [Bridge) because there is a lot of traffic between Niles and Buchanan,” said City Administrator Ric Huff.

A detour route will be in effect June 6 and continue until the project’s estimated finishing date of Aug. 26.

Details of the detour route were not available as of press time.

The project includes joint replacement, bridge deck overlay, beam patching, substructure repairs and concrete surface repairs.

City officials say federal funds will pay for up to 95 percent of the construction cost, estimated at $303,000. The remainder will be paid for with the city’s major streets fund.