UPDATE: I AM SO ANGRY ! On Channel 36 FOX News at 10:00 they just showed the FABULOUS FIREWORKS DISPLAY AND LED LIGHT SHOW from the new bridge, AND I MISSED IT!! ARRGGHHHHH!!! DAMMIT! I missed the East Toledo Historical Society Meeting that was at 7 pm at the East Toledo Senior Center because I mowed the stupid grass, fearing that we would get rain for 3 days, as the weatherman predicted this morning...then I saw the weather at 10, and here it is dissipating and I could have done it tomorrow, INSTEAD OF GETTING ALL YUCKY AND TIRED AND MISSING THE FIREWORKS AND LIGHT SHOW. I'm SO MAD, I COULD SQUISH A GRAPE!! It would have been a free thing for us to go do, on a BEAUTIFUL evening, within walking distance...darn.
SOMEONE PLEASE,WRITE IN SOMETHING TO
MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!!
The Veterans' Glass City Skyway (VGCS) is scheduled to open in June 2007, and will serve as the Signature Landmark for Toledo. Since the project began, public participation has been a vital process of this project, and now that the finish line is in sight, we want the public to celebrate the completion of this amazing project with a free Dedication Ceremony. We are currently in the planning process of the Ceremony and hope to include a few words from some of the team that has made the building of this landmark on the Toledo Skyline possible, a dedication ceremony, a Run/Walk hosted by the Toledo Roadrunners beginning at the Riverside YMCA and a Veterans’ Parade. Details of the Ceremony will be released as soon as they are finalized. The project team will provide a minimum of four weeks notice when the opening date is confirmed. The notice will be released via our normal media channels and via a special notification list.Use (Look Up Toledo's) Mailing List Form if you would like to be added to the “VGCS Bridge Dedication Date” distribution list.More information about the Run/Walk event is available on the Toledo Roadrunners web site.
Some Enlightened EveningCall For Information 419 - 206 - 0398View PDF Version Return To Iron Workers Home Page
On Thursday, May 24, 2007, we will gather on Toledo's Waterfront at the Marina District to celebrate the grand opening of the Veterans' Glass City Skyway.
It was 1988 when a group of local leaders identified a new Maumee River crossing as the region's top transportation priority. That group, now known as the Veterans' Glass City Skyway Task Force, began years of planning and development. In the spring of 2002, ground was broken on the casting yard off Front Street. Some 3,045 concrete segments, miles of steel strand and hundreds of noise wall panels later, the Skyway is scheduled for completion this spring.
It is an accomplishment worthy of a landmark celebration. We're calling the one-of-a-kind grand opening gala "Some Enlightened Evening," in part because the bridge's main pylon will be the world's first to feature illuminated glass panels. Yet the night is also cause for the city, indeed the region, to shine. The Skyway stands as a testament to the power of collaboration. Of perseverance. And of sacrifice. Proceeds from the evening will be used to construct a permanent memorial that recognizes, honors and memorializes all of the people who have given so much to see it completed.
Our goal has been to involve the public at every step, and we have enjoyed unprecedented support. I look forward to one last community gathering to celebrate this once-in-a-generation dream becoming a reality. Please take a moment to review the enclosed sponsorship materials for the grand opening gala, and thank you in advance for your consideration.Sincerely,Steve Nathanson, Chairman, Veterans' Glass City Skyway Task Force Chief Planning Officer, Mercy Health Partners
MAY 24, 2007. TOLEDO'S NIGHT TO SHINE!
Some Enlightened Evening, the Veterans' Glass City Skyway grand opening gala, will be a dazzling night of light inspired by the Skyway's unique LED-illuminated pylon. Come see the pylon aglow in a remarkable array of colors. Come see a breathtaking fireworks show. Come celebrate the opening of our newest regional jewel in the Marina District -- site of the next wave of Toledo's renaissance!But most importantly, come honor all those who helped create this signature landmark.
THE VETERANS' GLASS CITY SKYWAY OUR LANDMARK BRIDGE
Single largest project ODOT has undertaken. World's first cable-stayed bridge pylon to include glass panels. State-of-the-art LED pylon lighting capable of 16.7 million color combinations. First U.S. bridge to have stainless steel sheathing on the stay cables. 156-strand stay cables are the largest ever for a cable-stayed bridge. One of the first to use stay cradle system in the pylon. At its peak the bridge project employed 400 workers from local unions.
SOMEONE I KNEW AND LOVED('s ashes) ARE INSIDE THE TIP OF THE VETERANS MEMORIAL SKYWAY BRIDGE.
ARCHIVE: October 17, 2005
VETERANS’ GLASS CITY SKYWAY MAIN PYLON REACHES FINISHED HEIGHT(TOLEDO – OCTOBER 17) – After more than three years of work, the center pylon of the Maumee River Crossing (MRC) Bridge is complete. Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Gordon Proctor, various elected officials and representatives from the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway Task Force were in attendance at a “Topping Off” ceremony as the final section was placed on the top of the pylon.
“Topping off the pylon is a major milestone for ODOT and the citizens of Toledo,” said Proctor. “This one-of-a-kind pylon will make the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge a lasting landmark for the entire northwest Ohio region.”
The 400-foot tall concrete pylon is the central structural element of the bridge. The pylon will be the second-tallest structure in Toledo and will not only be unique to Ohio, but also to the world. The top 185 feet of the pylon will contain glass curtain walls that will be internally illuminated by 350 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). These LEDs can make the pylon any color or combination of colors and will be visible for miles.
Other project milestones that are complete include: all foundation and pier work (bridge structure), all concrete segments for the main span and bridge approaches and all ramps. Work on the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway project began in March 2002 and is now 80 percent complete. The completion date is scheduled for the end of calendar year 2006.
At a construction cost of $220 million, the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge is the largest single construction project in ODOT history. The Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge will replace the outdated Craig Memorial lift bridge, which stops Interstate 280 traffic an average of 500 times per year, causing congestion and creating safety problems.
The Veterans’ Glass City Skyway project is a prime example of the types of projects supported by Governor Bob Taft’s Jobs and Progress Plan. The 10-year, $5 billion Jobs and Progress Plan will rebuild Ohio’s highway network, address high-crash and congested locations and complete Ohio’s rural macro-corridors.
Over the next 10 years, northwest Ohio will see a historic investment of almost $500 million dollars. Lucas County alone will see an investment of $250 million to construct projects that will reduce congestion and accidents by rehabilitating Interstate 75, widening Interstate 475 and upgrading outdated interchanges.
“The Veterans’ Glass City Skyway project and all of the Jobs and Progress projects are more than just building a bridge or highway to solve a traffic problem,” Proctor said. “They represent the largest investment into our infrastructure since the original creation of the highway system.”
For more information, contact:
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Joe Rutherford, ODOT District 2 PIO, at 419-373-4471 or visit the project Web site at http://www.lookuptoledo.org/
