Thousands of people travel along the Opportunity Corridor in Cleveland and catch a brief glimpse of one of the most infamous pieces of abandoned architecture in the city without even realizing it.
The Sidaway Bridge was built in 1929 to connect the mostly Hungarian Kinsman Road community on the north side of Kinsgbury Run to the mostly Polish neighborhood of Jackowo on the southern side in Slavic Village. And earlier bridge dated back to 1909 and provided a convenient way for the two communities to interact with each other, as well as a way for north-siders to travel to the popular Dahler's beer garden on the south side. Eventually demographics in the area changed, with Black families largely replacing the Hungarian population on the north side.
By the mid-60s, the area found itself at the epicenter of rising racial tensions in the country. The Hough Riots of 1966 capped off this era, and resulted in residents on the south side of Kinsgbury Run setting fire to the bridge and removing its planking in an attempt to keep Black residents out of Slavic Village. For the last 60 years, Sidaway has "has waited patiently to resume its original purpose of bringing the people from these two neighborhoods together, rather than continuing to keep them apart," according to Cleveland Historical as the bridge continues to await repair and restoration, in many ways mirroring the two communities on either side of the broken span.
Slow Roll Cleveland's mission is "bridging communities through inclusive social bike rides." On Monday we will explore the neighborhoods on either side of the Sidaway Bridge and look closely at what remains of the approaches on either side of the bridge. And maybe ask ourselves why these communities remain physically disconnected.
We'll start at Otter Park at 2881 E. 82nd Street in Kinsman, across the street from Rid-All Green Partnership. From there we'll traverse both sides of Kingsbury Run and demonstrate the strange bifurcation of this part of Cleveland.
Ride time is at 7 PM, as usual, with merch and registrations open from 6 PM onward.
We have officially entered the final third of our 2025 calendar. That means that it's time to make sure our bikes our bright and easily seen at night, since rides will be getting increasingly dark from here on out until we're riding fully in the dark next month. At the bare minimum you'll want front and rear lights for your bike, but consider decorating your ride with plenty of extra illumination as well; not only does it keep us all safer, it makes us look pretty neat when we're rolling hundreds deep down streets and looking like an electrical light parade.
Also check out other Trips & Adventurous Activities in Cleveland.
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