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"Dooley also said mass transit cutbacks make it harder to attract new businesses" -- Bingo, bango! Would somebody please forward this article to those anti-transit yayhoos at Crain's as well as those supposedly pro-business Republicans who, like Crain's, are badmouthing such transit proposals as Amtrak's 3-Cs rail plan, and are silent, even pulling against, increased funding to our local transit agencies like Cleveland's RTA?... Not to pick on Detroit, but if there was ever a poster-city that demonstrates the urban devastation and dysfunction wrought by the failure to develop quality mass transit, Detroit is it. Great find, noozer.

A few years ago, KJP posted that there was at least people thinking of a master plan for RTA to extend BRT over this Opportunity Freeway and, I think, a proposed branch (also along a rapid transit corridor) to Woodhill & Shaker, and that the Stokes/Windermere Red Line branch and Shaker Green Line would be replaced by BRT buses. Now, suddenly, powerful forces behind the scene have mysteriously gotten the seemingly dead OC back on the table backed by $20M in Obama Stimulus funds. At the same time, 3 Windermere line projects seem suddenly in limbo: expansion of the E. 105 platform, the U. Circle rehab and the all important E. 120 relocation to Mayfield Rd/Little Italy. I say in limbo because RTA's list of Obama Stimulus shovel-ready RTA projects (per their website) include a number of station rebuilding projects, and w/ the exception of the E. 55 rebuild, which serves all 3 lines, the rest are on the West Side... On top of this, Joe C is now giddy at BRT expansion along Clifton Blvd. I don't think someone as well connected, transportation-wise, as KJP would put something like this disturbing "master plan" out there if there wasn't some juice to it. That said, given that this horrible Opportunity Corridor is looking like it's now going to be a reality ($20M in taxpayer $$ in a troubled economy for a project that will hurt our city... think about that), it's not beyond the realm to think there are folks behind the scenes looking to roll out such a master plan.

I fixed that for you! lol Thanks, MTS. Probably MY shortest post, and still not error free. Ugh!

Thanks Jerry, on the job as always.

... best nabe in Clevleand!

I wasn't thrilled with the concept of a yet another chain, seemingly corny joint like Cadillac Ranch going into our venerable May's Dept store. I've softened, esp after visiting there last week. It's a fun place; the old time Urban Cowboy mechanical bull is great and sitting outside in the bitter cold in front of the fire pit was fun, though a little weird -- I had to keep glancing down at my shirt cuff as the licking fingers of flame came w/in inches of it... Most importantly CR has added some juice back to Public Sq at night, esp weekends when the joint is jammed and there's a line half way to E. 4th to get in (as well as crowds at the Bar Room next door)... I'd prefer retail in May's, but CR is a giant leap forward over the desolate dump that was the junction of Euclid/East Roadway. CR along with the frequent HOB concerts has created more foot traffic btw E. 4th... and Theresa's Pizzeria seems to be reaping the bennies. I think Tri-C's culinary center can only help. Even moreso, they could rake in customers with decent, discount food at its restaurant.

I totally disagree. The main target of this road is University Circle and the commuters from the West Side suburbs who don't want to drive thru the city or deal with downtown -- most no doubt being of the 1 car 1 driver variety. One of the stronger points of the Red Line east is the reverse commuters who travel to Case and the huge/growing University Hospitals campus. Go to the University Circle station at rush hour (just drive down Cedar Hill). You'll see packed platforms of West Side (and some downtown) commuters. How can you say this Opportunity freeway won't cut into that? Add to that the huge employment center that will be created by the Juvenile Justice Center that'll be open in a year... I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of deal was cut to build this road w/ the JJC judges who didn't want to relocate from 22nd & Cedar in the 1st place. For the record, I'm thrilled with the stimulus money going to rebuild the inner belt, esp the increasingly dangerous bridge over the Flats.

Very nice shots. Pittsburgh's a fascinating old city with neat old walkable neighborhoods and so many faces... Squirrel Hill reminds me of Cleveland Heights.

These units, along with those in the McCrory Building next door (ie, apt. units over Corner Alley), will boost major, high-density housing in Gateway. The transformation of this area from the bleak BRT construction of just over a year ago is stunning. I hope 668's success, adding to that of nearby E.4th, can only convince the banks to loosen up credit for more similar housing in the future (ie, the planned tower on top of E. 515's parking structure).

Ah, warmth and outdoor seating at last... I really like Erie Island Coffee's intimate, homey set up, the window seats and free wifi,... and the very good coffee... From the looks of all the foot traffic, the place seems an instant hit. Now, bring on the Greenhouse Tavern!

^This is a very good project. As much as we may want a hip, trendy and gentrified U.Circle, the area simply cannot turn its back its low-mod income neighbors that abut the Circle. As the article notes, many of these low income folks are employees of hospitals and institutions of the Circle. When people see substandard housing sitting next to boarded up buildings and/or empty weed-y lots, we're often talking about hard working, law abiding citizens who are trying to make it in life, not simply the drug dealing scum which too often comes to mind.

There's so much surprising support for this project -- I even have to applaud the PD's excellent editorial over the weekend, rare for me -- they even included another huge beneficiary of 3-C passenger rail: sports fans. Can you imagine the migration from Cincy and Cleveland to Columbus for an Ohio State - Michigan game? Or to a Browns or Bengals game? The Reds and Indians openers? and many regular games amidst these ... esp in this sports crazed state (heck, I wish we could really push the Ohio Hub Cleve-Pittsburgh line which would lionize rail travel for Browns-Steelers clashes). Sure would hate for the pols to futz this all up... Esp now that even some Republicans are getting behind this (or probably, more likely, getting out of the way of their constituents who are 4-square behind 3-Cs).

Jerry, a couple concerns: 1) the Rapid tracks in general are becoming an open sewer eyesore. This is especially true in the trench/open cut along Shaker Blvd, where there's more rubbish than I've ever seen -- including where some fools even threw a couch in the trench just west of the MLK blvd bridge. The Airport route is pretty ugly, too... What's RTA's timetable for cleaning up this mess before we have Rat-pit Transit. 2) Some time ago you mentioned you'd pass on to your engineering dept the status of expanding the E. 105 station in light of the huge Juvenile Justice Ctr nearing completion nearby that threatens to overrun the current truncated, 1-car boarding set up now. Any word? 3) I really like the idea of GPS recorded station calls which is being implemented on the Red Line. But could RTA pulleeze rerecord the actual voice? It's stilted, unnatural and frankly nervewracking. The faux woman's voice sounds like one of a robot voice from one of those black 'n white, sci-fi flicks from the 50s. Just awful. 4) Hopkins Airport has new touch screen info boards in several key locations, including by the main info booth by baggage claim. Much to my chagrin, I notice the "Transportation" touch screen makes no mention of the nation's oldest airport rail line: the Red Line Rapid. How can this be? Only limos, taxis and shuttle vans are mentioned... and to add insult to injury, the image next to the touch screen button is a taxi and a bus. Even if RTA doesn't control this, you can bet for darn sure they can influence Hopkins. This is shameful. I noticed it last week coming into town. Along these lines, friends and biz visitors still tell me they either didn't know of or can't find the Rapid station at Hopkins due to poor signage. 5) I love the large, rolling signs with the "Next 3 trains" at major rail stations like Tower City. It's unique and very convenient. One annoyance is the ads. I understand there need to be there to help pay for service, but is there a way to reprogram the signs so the ads to interrupt the train times; ie, if the train times could continue as a crawl under the ads?

My sentiments exactly... One of the few times you get Cleveland leaders to speak w/ one voice, and it's for an expensive, taxpayer finaced boondoggle that will hurt the City: another stupid freeway; and one that parallels (and no doubt will siphon off) riders from the Red Line rapid transit. if that isn't bass-ackwards thinking, ... What surprises me is how little, if any, dissent there is against this, aside from a few sensible UOers... Sure wish we could have gotten this kind of leader unanimity on Dual Hub -- we'd have a subway up Euclid today.

Lest we forget, NC went for Obama... times may be a'changin'.

I hear you, MTS, but I'm not too upset. Downtown's got to crawl before it can walk. 1st, we need to get the people back downtown; so if some nice-to-high end retail, hotels and offices lure them, if driving is the mode that gets 'em down here, for now, keep it attractive to them. Also anytime you can bring a large no. of parking slots indoors (and replacing that hideous sea of WHD surface parking), you're still creating density and excitement, and that's what we need. And like others have noted, it absorbs the no. of spaces perceived to be lost... I'm just thrilled to see development planning life back in the WHD. I always thought Stark was more of a talker... let's hope these new people are do-ers.

Glad to see this project at revived a little bit... Obviously the original Airport Rapid builders were shortsighted w/ the stub-end subway tunnel. But that can be modified (or abandoned, as some plans show)... IIRC, Berea's sudden NIMBY closed-mindedness really killed this worthwhile project. Let's hope Mayor Kleem's fresh new progressive attitude wins the day.

I don't know, either. Given Jerry's usual professionalism, it wouldn't surprise me if he may have been blindsided from w/in. You're also righgt that the aforementioned downtown institutions should be all be upset ... throw in the Chamber of Comm (I forget what it's called nowadays) as well as Frank Jackson... We've got to stop underestimating mass transit in this town -- seemingly only thought of for Browns games, St. Paddy's, the Tribe opener and a few other selected "big events". It also highlights the disjointed relations btw our major institutions; short on coordination/communication.

But that's not the point, MTS. It's podunk-ish move. Sure you and I are more progressive, urban-wise, and relatively more privileged over many riders. We'll stick with RTA and downtown no matter what. That we choose to live near the Rapid says it all... But we're a minority. The casual suburbanite won't bother. And CIFF, given it's ideal centralized location, was a chance to show off downtown as well as the convenience of its transit system... RTA's done a lot of fine things, don't get me wrong... but times like these make me think: RTA never misses a good opportunity to miss a good opportunity.

I don't see it. I've experienced a no. of rapid rail systems, and RTA (at least the current edition) seems to have more total shutdowns for relatively minor rehab projects. I mean, the Philly el kept as many parts open as possible even when they had ground up, total reconstruction -- they kept trains running. Chicago's ancient line to the airport has slow spots as rehab continues, but no total shutdown. Hell, I remember (as a young guy, of course) that the old RTA did a great job of keeping Shaker trains running as much as humanly possible with the near total-rebuild of the Blue and Green lines. This idea of total shutdowns for shadowy "track rehab" is (well, I'd better not say on family internet) And this latest RTA shutdown seems very poorly handled. The CIFF has been announcing its schedule for weeks; it's a major downtown draw and with it being steps away from RTA's rail hub, naturally the Rapid is a key travel component for many who don't come downtown much. But RTA waited until nearly the last minute to announce this; and it's on both CIFF key weekends, esp the kickoff a few days from now. The Blue & Green lines are a major draw for East Side/Eastern suburb movie goers, not to mention Cavs fans and others looking to experience and even work in downtown. Worse yet, RTA is offering a very vague "track work" reason. I read RTA's web every few weeks or so for alerts, and just stumbled on this one which will greatly crimp my, my SO's plans to see CIFF films (we'll now drive thru traffic and pay umpteen $$ in parking fees). I'm sorry, I'm not buying. If night work, single tracking, or segmented short closures result in stretching the job out a little longer, so be it. That's the way big city mass transit operates... But you don't just shut over a 1/3rd of your most efficient, highest capacity, highest profile transit network. Major transit systems out not do biz this way; esp if they constantly shove the "Best N. American Transit System" boast in your face.

I've liked TC better from the beginning, but I have to agree w/ Litt's premise: FCE simply got too friggin' full of themselves, and if they had disclosed this better and more detailed rendering from the beginning, instead of playing coy and acting as though they had MMPI in the bag, they'd probably be moving their tractors in place by now.

The state of the Flats in the bottom of this pic is seriously impressive. Can you imagine what a 'nabe that would be today if it was still intact? :Sigh: I was thinking the same thing, esp looking at the loading pier which was, until a few years ago, the FEB board walk with bar/restaurant plazas overlooking the river.. As Clevelanders, we should all be ashamed we let the Flats East Bank collapse as it did -- it was a local/national entertainment tresure which, despite its flaws which could/should have been cured... Now, w/ Wolstein's financial issues viz the credit crunch, it appears we're going to be (esp Bingham residents) staring at empty land for years to come. Such a waste... ... nice pics, btw.

Sam Miller needs to either get his head out of his arse or step down. His is the type of self-aggrandizing/selfish, contentious mentality that keeps Cleveland in the Dark Ages... ... I'm lovin' CSU's residential/college town approach -- I say: it's about time! We've seen the positive aspects of what development along Euclid has occurred: there is, now, 10-times the collegiate feel of the area than there was as recently as a decade ago when students joked that the Rascal House pizza joint doubled for the Student Union -- it was about the only serious retail space along an ugly, rundown, empty corridor. Now it's more like a typical college strip with foot traffic, even... More dorms would not only boost campus but attract apt and condo builders to Euclid, Prospect and Chester around the campus area. Having spent a lot of time around Philly and Detroit for more than a decade, I've seen how Temple and Wayne State's cold commuter campus, not unlike CSU's, have been turned into trendy student-friendly (and most importantly SAFE) areas of their respective crime-ridden towns... And even though I'm luke warm, at best, to RTA's Health Line, I can see some benefits for CSU's college town approach. Up the road, we see the slow efforts of prestige-chasing CWRU to convert U.Circle into Hyde Park-type old-mansion/college town district finally bearing fruit. CSU has the advantage of being downtown and the current proposal could go a long way towards extending downtown/residential/entertainment growth, while at the same time, boosting the image of CSU for suburban and out-of-town students/families... As for the grass roots/inner city gripes about the University turning it's back on it's mission to low-income students (a hot topic for both Temple and Wayne), I'll leave that for another time...

^Agreed. Total transit connectivity is key so you can't look at local transit, regional rail and Amtrak in isolation -- indeed, even highway transp is tied in, esp as it feeds train/transit lines with, preferably, high-density, mixed use parking garages. Indeed, the preferred 3-C route has a station at Hopkins airport tying in the trains to planes... Civvik, one thing you're missing, as most highway/anti-transit advocates (of which I'm NOT including you) miss, is that even though you/they may not use the trains, many others will which will make driving less road-congested for you.

^An AAO rebuttal is a great idea... KJP? Noozer?