‘I’m glad it’s complete now;’ Local bridge reopens after repairs cause lengthy closure

TROTWOOD — A major road in Trotwood re-opened Wednesday afternoon after being closed for over a year.

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The Free Pike Bridge opened up after it was closed in May 2022 for repair work.

The County engineer told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis that the project included repair and waterproofing of the existing structure, scour mitigation, replacement backfill material, and roadway work.

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Several businesses located near the bridge were impacted by the closure.

Trotwood Carryout is one of the businesses that was hurt by the closure.

“It was almost dead in here almost every day. And hopefully, it starts picking back up,” Ralph Iman, a customer of Trotwood Carryout, said.

According to the manager of Trotwood Carryout, on average the business makes $1900 or $2000 a day, but during the closure that dropped to around $500 to $800 a day.

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Drivers had to use a detour for over 15 months because of the closure.

The goal was to reopen the bridge in September, according to the County Engineer.

“I’m glad it’s complete now and I don’t think we should belabor the point of the length of time, no matter how long it took, we know it’s complete now,” Dwight Nolan, another customer of Trotwood Carryout said.

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