ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — For nearly a century, the soaring concrete arches of the Hilliard Road Bridge have defined the landscape over a stretch of the Rocky River Valley at the Lakewood-Rocky River border.

Rising 99 feet above the Cleveland Metroparks, the 893-foot span has carried generations of motorists over the valley and served as a majestic backdrop for park goers in the valley floor below.

But as the bridge approaches its 100th birthday, Cuyahoga County officials say the arches — the defining feature of the 1925 structure — won’t survive. The bridge is too deteriorated to be repaired, and recreating the arches in a new structure would be far too costly.

Instead, when money is secured, the bridge will be replaced by a more traditional flat steel design.

“We thought we could rehab it

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