Today We Launch an Experiment Called "Slow River"

Today we're launching a trial series called "Slow River". Every Sunday morning we'll share a real-time scene with natural audio. It's a riff on the Norwegian "Slow TV" Series popularized in the 2000s. Think of it like a "CBS Sunday Morning" nature segment.

The Center Street Swing Bridge is our first subject. Built in 1901 by the Cleveland-based King Bridge Company, the 345 foot-long Center Street Swing Bridge is the only working example of a bobtail swing bridge in Ohio. Located underneath the Veteran’s Memorial (Detroit-Superior) Bridge (also built by King Bridge in 1918), the bobtail design allows the bridge to pivot on a land-based pier, keeping the narrow river free from obstruction.

The Center Street Swing Bridge opened this morning for the passage of the American Courage, a 636' foot-long bulk carrier freighter. Built in 1979, the freighter is owned by American Steamship Co.

More on the historic Center Street Swing Bridge can be found our recent blog highlighting its pending closure and 1-year rehabilitation that will begin this July.