The bridge in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood spans the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Big Creek (a Cuyahoga River tributary that runs through the Cleveland Metroparks' Brookside Reservation), John Nagy Boulevard, and Norfolk Southern and CSX railroad tracks.

In 1997, three metal canopies were installed under the roadway to prevent debris from falling from the deteriorating bridge onto zoo patrons.

The final implosion was scheduled to occur on Saturday April 28, 2007 at 8:00 AM, but a detonation cable failure resulted in only about one-quarter of the bridge being knocked down.

The replacement bridge overlooks the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and spans a historic footbridge, two railroad tracks, a major water main, and several maintenance roads and footpaths - as did the original.

Cleveland city Councilman Kevin Kelley called the delays "incredibly frustrating", noting they were "beyond reasonable and not fair to merchants" many of whom had gone out of business due to rerouted traffic.