By admin 
CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Questions are arising about why a highly flammable play structure was allowed under the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge.
This question arose following an investigation that revealed two warnings from the federal government regarding flammable structures under bridges. Part of the Big Mac Bridge went up in flames last Friday after an inferno sparked by a fire sparked by the Thousand Hands Playground under the bridge.
Although the Cincinnati Parks Commission has reopened most of the park, the bridge remains heavily damaged and the southbound lanes remain closed. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is making repairs but has not directly answered Local 12’s questions regarding the warnings.
In 2018, following a fire in Atlanta, the National Transportation Safety Board advised state transportation departments to “evaluate materials under bridges and remove materials that could pose a risk of fire.” A similar warning came from the Federal Highway Administration in 2023 after a fire in Los Angeles, stating:
“Any structures using flammable materials should not be allowed under bridges and must be removed.”
An ODOT spokesperson confirmed receipt of the 2023 memo and stated:
“It was immediately distributed to our 12 districts and structural engineers, who were asked to identify any obvious flammable materials, similar to the flammable materials hazard in Los Angeles,” the spokesperson said. “Our districts’ responses indicated that ODOT had been addressing several known issues well before the memo.”
However, ODOT did not clarify whether it believed these warnings applied to the Thousand Hands Playground, approved in 2003, with a structure made of recycled plastic and a rubber floor made of recycled tires. ODOT has declined to answer further questions until the investigation into the cause of the fire is complete.
Meanwhile, the city of Cincinnati plans to rebuild the damaged portion of Sawyer Point Park.
“We plan to fully rehabilitate this portion of the park, including a new playground at Sawyer Point, but most likely at a different location.”
The representative noted that it is “too early to know exactly what this design will look like, what the community wants, how the playground will be constructed, what the costs will be, or when this work will take place.”
The spokesperson added that a “project like this would be expected to take several months, if not years, depending on factors such as the availability of financing.”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared the bridge fire a state of emergency on Wednesday and provided emergency funds to ODOT for bridge repairs. ODOT has not disclosed the cost or timing of the repairs.