Cleveland Heights City Council has authorized pre-design work for repairs to a historic stone arch culvert that carries Doan Brook under Martin Luther King Drive. The structure includes a masonry spandrel wall built in 1897, and a 2024 safety inspection by the City of Cleveland identified “critical structural deficiencies.”
The city approved a $75,000 pre-design contract with GPD Engineering Group. Cleveland Heights Public Works Director Collette Clinkscale said the funding for the pre-design work was budgeted last year, and the city plans to pursue reimbursement through the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Community Cost-Share Program.
In its proposal, GPD cited severe structural distress in the spandrel wall, including significant outward leaning, fractured and displaced masonry blocks, vegetation intrusion, and a continuous structural crack. Engineers said the wall is in critical condition, with a risk of partial or complete collapse into Doan Brook. Engineers also said impacts to the overhead roadway are unlikely, but a collapse would obstruct stream flow, damage the adjacent hiking trail, and create safety hazards.
The pre-design study is set to review multiple rehabilitation paths, from stabilizing the existing structure to full replacement paired with bank stabilization. Clinkscale said the project is not expected to go out for bid until next spring or summer, since the city needs more detailed design work before pricing the fix.
For mason contractors, the inspection findings read like a checklist of scope drivers on century-old stone and masonry infrastructure: movement in the wall, displaced units, vegetation, and cracking. That mix affects access, safety planning near water and trails, and coordination with the engineer’s repair approach once the city selects an option.
Read the full, original article from Cleveland.com here.