CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Questions are growing about why a highly flammable play structure was allowed under the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge.

The question arose after an investigation uncovered two warnings from the federal government regarding flammable structures under bridges. A portion of the Big Mac Bridge was engulfed in flames last Friday, following the inferno created by a fire fueled by the Thousand Hands Playground under the bridge.

While the Cincinnati Parks Commission has reopened most of the park, the bridge remains severely damaged and southbound lanes remain closed. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is handling repairs but did not directly answer Local 12’s questions about the warnings.

Following a fire in Atlanta in 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board advised the state’s transportation departments to “evaluate materials under bridges and remove those that may pose a fire risk.” A similar warning came from the Federal Highway Administration after a fire in Los Angeles in 2023:

“Any structure using flammable materials cannot be allowed under bridges and must be removed.”

An ODOT spokesperson confirmed receipt of the 2023 memo, saying:

“It was immediately distributed to our 12 districts and structural engineers who were asked to identify any obvious flammable materials similar to the flammable hazard in Los Angeles,” the spokesperson said. “Responses from our districts indicated that ODOT was already working to resolve some of the issues that were known well before the proclamation.”

But ODOT has not yet clarified whether these warnings apply to the Thousand Hands Playground, which was approved in 2003 and has a structure made of recycled plastic and rubber flooring from recycled tires. ODOT declined to answer further questions until the investigation into the cause of the fire is complete.

Meanwhile, the city of Cincinnati plans to rebuild the damaged portion of Sawyer Point Park.

“We plan to fully improve this section of the park, including a new playground at Sawyer Point, although it will likely be in a different location.”

The representative noted that it was “too early to know exactly what this design will look like, what the community wants, how the playground will be laid out, how much it will cost, or when this work will happen.”

The spokesman added that “a project like this is expected to take several months, if not years, depending on factors such as funding availability.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared the bridge fire an emergency Wednesday, providing emergency funds to ODOT for bridge repairs. ODOT did not disclose the cost or timing of the repairs.