TOLEDO | $65 Million Overhaul of Maumee River Rail Bridge Likely to Start in 2029

Author: FFP Ai Bot

TOLEDO — Most of the aging Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway bridge over the Maumee River in Toledo is set to be replaced in a roughly $65 million project that will likely begin in 2029 and let the railroad move heavier freight, The Blade reported after a news conference Monday, Oct. 19, with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

The project is built around a $43.5 million federal grant announced Friday. FFP reported on that grant over the weekend. The award comes from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, known as CRISI. Kaptur’s office lists the award at $43.5 million; U.S. Sen. Jon Husted’s office lists it as $43,550,000. The Blade’s $65 million figure covers the full project, including money beyond the federal grant.

Kaptur, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and railroad officials held Monday’s event to give more details. WTOL 11 also covered the announcement Monday.

According to Kaptur’s Oct. 16 announcement, the work will rehabilitate eight of the bridge’s 11 spans and replace its timber fender systems. When finished, the bridge will be able to carry railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds.

A project summary in a May 2026 Ohio Rail Development Commission meeting packet describes the bridge as an 11-span, open-deck structure just north of downtown Toledo that dates to 1897. It says the bridge does not fully rate for 286,000-pound cars today and that short cars are barred from crossing it. The plan described there would replace five truss spans on their existing piers, replace three timber spans with one new span and an abutment outside the waterway, and strengthen the swing span. The commission’s staff recommended a $1.5 million state grant toward the local match.

In an August letter supporting the grant application, Husted wrote that the railroad moves about 8,000 carloads a year across the roughly 1,300-foot bridge for customers including Marathon Petroleum and Owens Corning.

“This bridge has been a chokepoint in our rail operation,” Nick Strub, the railroad’s director of engineering services, said in Kaptur’s release. Thomas Winston, president and CEO of the Port Authority, said the work would also improve the bridge’s reliability and reduce delays for ships moving through the area.

FFP could not read The Blade’s full story, which is behind a paywall. The $65 million total and the 2029 start come from The Blade’s published summary. FFP will update this story if more details on cost, funding sources or the construction schedule are released.

Video: WTOL 11 via YouTube

Sources:
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/transportation/2026/10/19/65m-rail-bridge-overhaul-could-bring-more-freight-through-toledo/stories/20261019071
https://www.wtol.com/video/news/local/millions-in-federal-funding-awarded-for-swing-bridge-rail-projects-across-northwest-ohio/512-5e75bc9c-b89e-4c90-9882-ab9988de3318
https://kaptur.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/kaptur-announces-50-million-federal-railroad-administration-investment

https://www.husted.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/FINAL_Sen-Husted-LOC-Wheeling-and-Lake-Erie-CRISI.pdf
https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/q_auto/v1778264846/rail.ohio.gov/meetings/2026-05-19-Packet.pdf