The Veterans Glass City Skyway Bridge Railing

The Veterans Glass City Skyway Bridge is A Cable-Stayed bridge that crosses over the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. Until it transfers over to local control, the bridge is owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The skyway is ODOT’s largest single construction project ever.

After many delays the bridge opened in 2007. During the original construction all the original bridge railing were painted and after 13 years of service, the rail had corroded to the point that it was no longer safe. In 2020 the decision was made to replace the railing with a duplex coating consisting of hot-dip galvanizing and polyurethane paint per Ohio Department of Transportation specifications.

In close partnership with Cox Brothers Machining, logistics and communication were key on this project. The galvanizer managed all phases of this project which included transportation and logistics of all material to and from galvanizer, painter and job site, to maintain the schedule requested by the customer. Management of the job included identifying/planning for lane closures, frost laws, traffic management, and coordination with Kokosing (the Installer on site).

Kettle tags were used prior to galvanizing for identification, as each load was required to be delivered in the same order in which it was received. In the spring of 2021 part of the East and West bound lanes were closed and the old railing was dismantled. In November of 2021 all of the railing had been replaced and the bridge was officially reopened.