Officials join in virtual ODOT meeting regarding Route 82 bridge

by Dan Holland

July 13 township trustees meeting

Township attorney Jeff Snell shared information from a virtual meeting he participated in with the Ohio Department of Transportation in early July regarding preliminary plans for replacement of the Brecksville-Northfield High-Level Bridge over the Cuyahoga River. Sagamore Hills trustees also watched the meeting.

“The bridge is in the preliminary stage of being replaced between Brecksville and Sagamore Hills,” Snell said. “It will either be on the north side or south side of the current bridge, and everyone is hoping that it will look similar to the bridge that is there with the arches. Brecksville’s mayor spoke on that, and said how he was concerned about that. [The trustees] expressed that same plan, that it should look similar. There is a similar model on Fulton Road that the state replaced.”

A replacement of the Brecksville-Northfield Bridge has a preliminary cost estimate of $100 million with an expectation of the new bridge being built in 2030.

“Traffic would continue on the existing bridge, and they would build the new bridge next to it and then move over to the new bridge,” said Snell. “Then, they would remove the old bridge.”

Snell said according to an ODOT analysis, the cost to repair the old bridge was only $10 million less than a full replacement. The current bridge was closed for a three-month period beginning in mid-October 2025 after a crack was discovered in one of its piers. A bridge preservation project, at a cost of $7.7 million, was scheduled for completion in late July.

Snell stressed that the bridge deck/road surface is safe to drive on at present.

“The road is structurally fine, but it will always have a weight limit on it as it currently exists, even after repairs,” he said. “Some of the columns had to be replaced, as the concrete was fraying off and exposing iron rebar underneath, and the tops of those arches are in pretty bad shape.”

Snell added that he discussed with officials the possibility of installing roundabouts at Chaffee Road in Sagamore Hills and at Riverview Road in Brecksville to better facilitate traffic flow.

“It was all very preliminary, as we didn’t even know what they were going to present,” he said.

Library update

Michelle Alleman, executive director for the Akron-Summit County Public Library system, gave an update on renovation projects, which will include the Nordonia Hills Branch Library.

In May 2025, voters approved a 1-mill, 20-year bond issue, generating $160 million to be used exclusively for capital improvements at all 19 ASCPL locations.

“Nordonia Hills is among the first three branches to be renovated, and if you drive by there, you’ll see that they are currently working on replacing the roof right now. They are able to do that while the building remains open,” said Alleman. “In addition to the roof, we’ll be redoing the parking lot, landscaping, and – on the inside – creating some study rooms and a new passport room.”

Alleman noted that a bookmobile trailer will operate at the site on Tuesdays and the third Saturday of each month during the branch closure.

According to the ASCPL website, the first three libraries scheduled for interior renovations – Ellet, Nordonia Hills and Tallmadge – are projected to close from Aug. 1, 2026 through summer 2027.

Data centers

Trustees passed a resolution imposing a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing and issuance of zoning certificates, permits and approvals for data center uses within Sagamore Hills Township for a period of 12 months.

“Data centers are a hot topic that has brought major concerns to residents and leaders throughout Ohio,” Trustee John Zaccardelli said. “We want to be proactive and give the Sagamore Hills zoning commission the needed time to review and regulate. Currently, no proposal for a data center has been submitted to Sagamore Hills Township.”