The Harmar Bridge begins to turn as inspections take place in downtown Marietta, Tuesday morning. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

MARIETTA — Volunteers joined engineers and officials Tuesday morning to manually turn the historic Harmar Bridge, allowing inspectors to closely examine its aging mechanical systems as part of an ongoing restoration effort.

The turning of span 4 – the bridge’s swing span – marked a key moment in the two-day inspection conducted by engineering firm American Structurepoint and its subconsultants. The inspection is intended to guide future decisions on how to rehabilitate the structure and reopen it as a pedestrian connection between Marietta and Harmar Village.

Natalie Bradley, executive director of the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, said the inspection is a critical step in determining the bridge’s future.

“What this means with folks out on the bridge turning it – the inspection is an in-depth inspection, which means we know how to move forward responsibly,” Bradley said. “WE can move on to the next step, whatever that means, whatever that looks like.”

Bradley said the organization’s broader goal remains restoring the bridge as a functional link between the two sides of the community.

Volunteers and engineers prepare to turn the Harmar Bridge for inspections to take place Tuesday morning. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

“Our main goal is to connect east with west,” she said. “It just means connection, community and making it passable.”

Tuesday’s turning required about a dozen volunteers to manually crank the bridge’s gear system — far more than what would have been needed when the bridge was first constructed.

“You are cranking the gears by hand with like 12 people,” said Geoff Schenkel, development director for the city of Marietta. “Back in the day, when that was new and working properly, you likely would have been able to turn that bridge with four people. But now, because it’s aged, things are kind of grinding … it takes more like 12 people to make that go.”

Inspectors observed the process from multiple vantage points, including beneath the bridge, where specialists examined the mechanical components up close.

“They are looking at the mechanical workings of the bridge — how the gears are meshing, and they’re monitoring all those mechanical functions up close and personal,” Schenkel said.

According to Schenkel, the inspection is funded through a federal planning grant and is part of a joint effort involving Washington County and the city of Marietta. Officials said the city assisted with writing and administering multiple grants tied to the entire scope of the project, totaling roughly $2 million, including funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program, Coastal Management Assistance Grants and the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant.

The Historic Harmar Bridge Company matched 5% for the TAP grant and 20% for the Coastal Management Assistance grant.

Bradley said securing grant funding made the inspection possible and will help guide how future project funds are spent.

Schenkel said the project continues to rely on coordination between multiple partners.

“It’s definitely a team effort,” he said. “We have multiple partnerships at work … to keep all those moving parts going so that we can get this project off the ground and on to a construction stage.”

With the inspection underway, officials say the results will serve as a roadmap for future restoration work and bring the community one step closer to reopening the long-closed local landmark.