For the Ohio Department of Transportation, building a $70 million bridge is what they do best, but making it a seamless part of the community requires a little help.

That is where the local residents come in. ODOT hosted another public meeting Thursday designed to seek community input on cosmetic touches for the new Ironton-Russell Bridge that will be built over the next 5 years. These include mural-type designs that could be added to the segmented retaining wall.

By now, everyone knows that the approach is projected to begin near the intersection of Second and Jefferson streets in Ironton and connect to the intersection of Kentucky 244 and U.S. 23 in Russell.

At its highest point, the 2,500 foot, cable-stayed bridge similar to the 31st Street Bridge in Proctorville will rise approximately 500 feet above the river.

ODOT has been working with representatives from both Ironton and Russell to find ways to make the bridge more than just a structure - they hope to make it an extension of each community.

One of the primary ways on the Ironton side will be the pictorial designs.

The art will be in shades of the the final bridge color that is chosen, with recessed and raised portions on approximately 250 feet of the wall that will face Third Street. The proposed designs depict scenes representing the Memorial Day Parade, the Iron furnaces, trains, the Underground Railroad, the Ohio River, Tigers football and family life in Ironton.

"From talking to people who live here and who came to the previous meetings, I got a feel for things important to Ironton - its history. I guess that is what really defines the city of Ironton," said Bruce Hull III, electronic design specialist for ODOT's Department of Communications. "I wanted to come up with something people here would be proud of and people passing through would get a sense of what the people of Ironton care about."

Life-long Ironton resident Mary Laber said she liked what she saw.

"I think the design captures Ironton from the beginning to modern day," she said. "There are a lot of historical things that could be on the wall but we wouldn't have room for all of Ironton's history."

South Point resident Bill Cignoni said he liked the design but would like to see them use more color in the final renderings.

"Have you been to Portsmouth? Their murals are just gorgeous," he said.

Cignoni did have another complaint as well. "They should have connected it to the four-lanes of U.S. 52," he said. "You are going to have big trucks going through town."

Most everyone who stopped in the city center to sneak a peek were pleased though. A handful of representatives from the Ashland Cycling Enthusiasts, a bicycling club of nearly 40 members from across the Tri-State, were on hand. All were excited that a dedicated bike lane will be incorporated into the design.

Kathleen Fuller, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9, said that this public stage is vital to allowing communities to really take ownership of a project.

"What we will do now is take these comments down and look at incorporating some of them," she said. "We want the public to come out because it is their bridge. We really want to hear their opinions about what they like and don't like."

Construction bids could be awarded in October 2005. Physical construction could begin in April 2006 and be completed in October 2008. Removal of the old bridge is scheduled to begin in April 2009 and be completed that October.