Harmar Bridge restoration project receives TAP funding from Ohio | News, Sports, Jobs

Marietta City Councilman Bret Allphin, left, Marietta Development Director Geoff Schenkel, right, and Harmar Bridge Company’s Communication Director Allie Schultheis, center, discuss the Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation during a press conference Wednesday afternoon by The Armory. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

MARIETTA — The City of Marietta and the Historic Harmar Bridge Company received a major boost this week with the announcement of a $950,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), part of a broader $52 million investment in active transportation projects across the state.

The funding, announced by Gov. Mike DeWine and ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn, will support engineering design for the restoration of the historic Harmar Bridge’s swing span, the manually operated central section that rotates to allow river traffic to pass. The bridge is believed to be the only operable swing span of its kind remaining in North America.

“This is just the beginning,” said Ali Schultheis, communications director for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company. “This grant is a huge step toward our goal of salvaging and rehabilitating the bridge. It means the state hears us – it hears the people of Marietta.”

The TAP program is designed to support infrastructure improvements that enhance pedestrian and bicycle access, public transit connections, and community livability. Marietta’s grant is one of 44 awarded in 33 counties.

Marietta City Councilman Bret Allphin and Geoff Schenkel, from the city’s Community Development Office, credited years of grassroots fundraising efforts — including the annual Harmar Days Festival and a community raffle — with helping to provide the local match required to qualify for the grant.

The Harmar Bridge, while gated off to pedestrians, displays a sign promoting the campaign to “Save the Harmar Bridge.” (Photo by Gwen Sour)

“All that we’ve done in recent years with the Harmar Days Festival and the raffle that Larry Slater sort of sort of pointed us in the direction of years ago, which produced significant local match at a level we had never seen before, for the Harmar Bridge, and it’s because we are producing a local match at that level that we are able to even apply for things like this,” said Schenkel. “We will need probably $50,000 to $100,000 for us to keep this kind of momentum going. So every raffle ticket, every Harmer days t-shirt, every beer you buy in the beer garden, is what enables us to even be able to get on the field and compete for these dollars.”

According to Schultheis, the $950,000 award will cover initial engineering and design work for the swing span, estimated to be the most expensive component of the overall rehabilitation. Total costs for full restoration of the bridge are projected to exceed $40 million, but efforts are being phased, with each section of the bridge broken into separate funding and construction stages.

The grant announcement comes during the 40th anniversary year of the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, which took ownership of the bridge in 1985. The group aims to eventually reopen the bridge as a pedestrian-only crossing, reconnecting the Harmar and downtown neighborhoods.

In a press release, Councilwoman Erin O’Neill, who represents Marietta’s 4th Ward, called the grant a significant victory for the west side.

“When I heard the news that Marietta will be receiving nearly $1 million in state funding for the Harmar Bridge project, I was overjoyed, and honestly, a little emotional,” O’Neill said. “This bridge means everything to the people of the west side. It’s not just a crossing, it’s a connection. This investment sends a clear message: our community matters.”

Harmar Days 2025 is scheduled for July 25-27, and organizers encouraged residents to participate by attending events, buying merchandise, or contributing to the annual raffle.

“This is a community project at every level,” said Schultheis. “And we’re just getting started.”

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com