Hillandale Bridge

While perusing Atlas Obscura, I expanded my search and came across an abandoned bridge. It must have been a recent submission because I check the website out frequently, and I've never come across anything this cool so close to my home. I live about 30 minutes outside of Cleveland, so finding anything this cool near me I immediately want to check out. It took a few months before I finally got the chance to go out there, and for good reason, the bridge has many holes some big enough for a person to slip through that might be covered by snow.

This elaborate bridge was built in the 1920s in hopes of welcoming people to a future development that would never see the light of day. Plans for the homes was scrapped when the Great Depression hit in 1929. The bridge is apparently part of a trail for Hillandale Park, but from the looks of it it's mostly a place for high school kids to hang out and graffiti. This place was definitely a hidden gem. My dad, who grew up in Euclid and even owned an ice company off the same exit (and would drive past the park daily), had no idea where it was until I gave him the exact location. The park contains a baseball field, but I don't know how often it's used, and, unfortunately, the city isn't what it used to be as a result of white flight - the city is mentioned in Serial season 3, if you're a fan.

The bridge is located near the Willowick border, and accessible via Hillandale drive, right across from the Omnipark Complex. Hillandale Dr. will turn into a brick road that leads up a hill. The GPS will take you some other direction, but I followed my instincts and got lucky. There is a house with many no trespassing signs (not located where the bridge is), but the area near the bridge has no parking signs up and down the street. When you reach the top of the hill there are concrete barriers and the bridge is just beyond that. Use caution because there is a deep valley and the bridge contains large holes and is even missing part of it's railing. However, it's totally worth the trip!