SOUTH BEND, Ind. --Structural repairs on Leeper Avenue bridge and East Bank Trail were announced by the South Bend Public Works Department to have been completed earlier than expected.

The public now has access to Leeper Avenue and the East Bank Trail from Napoleon Street to North Shore Drive.

In October 2021 a vehicle hit the Leeper Avenue bridge and caused structural damage, for which this section of Leeper Avenue and the East Bank Trail has been closed since then.

The bridge needed a steel column and concrete foundation replaced, as well as painting all repaired areas.

The beginning of June 2023 was the original deadline the contractor had to complete the repairs, but favorable weather conditions allowed the repairs to be completed sooner.