SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Frequent Gorge Metro Park walkers, Madison Murrey and Kinsley Anstine, come to catch up and get some exercise. But a break in the Front Street bridge’s guardrail stopped them in their tracks Wednesday.
“That’s scary,” Murrey said. “It’s a little concerning because we really like going over the bridge, so it’s a very big drop-off anyways and a very narrow sidewalk, especially a sidewalk being on only one side of the road.”
Wednesday, around noon, only one caution cone was standing. The rest had fallen down into the rocky cliff, and another was floating in the Cuyahoga River.
“I would like to see some precautions, but I see one cone,” Anstine said. “That’s not really going to stop anybody. Plus, if you fall down, there’s not really an easy way to get back up."
"Some signs would be great, some kind of signs so we know to avoid that area would be good," Anstine added.
Akron resident Pat Mihaly, who drives across Front Street Bridge daily, is upset too. She said the guardrail has been missing for two months.
“I don’t want a loved one or anyone to miss and swerve and go into the river or children horsing around and falling into the river, bicycles,” Mihaly said. “It’s so dangerous. It’s unbelievable.”
Mihaly said she’s repeatedly called Akron and Cuyahoga Falls city officials, even their police departments, but her concerns are falling on deaf ears.
“I care about the people, I care about the children, the citizens,” Mihaly said. “Both cities don’t care, and they’ve shown it; they’re ignoring.”
Today News 5 reached out to Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, and Summit County Metro Parks to see who is responsible for fixing the guardrail, and no one would offer a comment about the situation. But Cuyahoga Falls said they believe the guardrail was removed by a construction company working on the Gorge Dam removal but still wouldn't speak further on the matter.
Three hours into News 5 bringing residents' concerns to city officials, the Cuyahoga Falls street superintendent brought out 18 new cones to block off the area. Mihaly believes the cones are a step in the right direction but not the complete solution.
“Cones won’t stop a car,” Mihaly said. "Cones won’t stop little children running across the bridge or bicyclists. It’s a sin; somebody is going to die.”
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