Bellaire Bridge rapidly turning into construction Methuselah.
During the past year, London managed to welcome and send safely on their way several million overseas visitors that helped make the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics one of the most memorable ever. In the US, the country managed to stage one of the most hotly-contested and expensive Presidential elections in history. And in the field of electronics, the passing of Apple icon Steve Jobs barely registered as a blip on the evr-upward curve of the company’s progress towards global domination.
And yet, an ugly, crumbling eyesore of a bridge managed to survive the year without so much as a scratch, despite the fact that it’s been on the engineering equivalent of Death Row longer than Jack Alderman.
The saga of the Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge again came to the forefront this week. The deteriorating span’s demolition has taken on a life of its own.
The latest stumbling block is an escrow account between the city of Benwood and the bridge’s owners — Krystal Chaklos of KDC Investments and Lee Chaklos of Delta Demolition.
Benwood officials were seeking to have Chakloses place $500,000 in escrow to ensure completion of the bridge demolition once the project begins. That didn’t fly with the Chakloses, as they wanted their name on the account.
Thus, another demolition stalemate. To their credit, Benwood officials have offered up a proposal to remove the stumbling block.
Benwood is calling for an independent arbiter to have final say over a $500,000 escrow account. City leaders, however, say they still have yet to hear back from the bridge’s owners whether they will accept the deal, which says if there is a problem with bridge demolition than independent arbitrator would mediate.
Read more here or check back in 365 days to see if it’s still standing.
