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RTA's Blue/Green Line debacle at the Cavs June 22nd championship parade certainly foreshadowed this fact... ... oh yeah, the PD recently crowed about the possibility of Cavs, Browns and Indians, should the latter make the World Series, playing on the same day in late October... Wouldn't that be fun transit-wise!?

It will be great signage. The best signage you've ever seen, believe me. And nobody does signage better than RTA. And Mexico will pay for the signage. RTA must have paid a lot of money to manufacture all the temporary location signs (large metal signs attached to tall posts buried in the ground) and post them (in many cases, more than one, ie both sides of the streets on Van Aken and Shaker Blvds) and, yet, they now claim poor and have to raise fares and cut services. Where was RTA's transparency in terms of the expense and decision to build and place these temporary signs? Why the expensive signs? Most transit systems I've seen simply staple up temporary signs around telephone pole, etc., made from cheap card stock white paper purchased from Staples printed on an inexpensive color HP printer. Once normal service is restored, these simple signs are easily pulled down, thrown away or recycled... Sure would save a lot of cash, which RTA is in short supply of. Just another in the long annals of RTA foolish moves.

^Cleveland just has to stick with its plan, fine tune it and reapply-- it makes too much sense, esp now that local leaders have gotten NCTC's location right: west of E.9th street. I would love for the ped bridge to be a part of the package, but am not optimistic -- I think local leaders are more worried about the bridge's looks and probably feel that such a connection may mess them up. I hope Hillary is elected and keeps the TIGER program going which I think is a great thing even though, obviously, the grants are quite competitive. I fear that if Team Trump gets in (perish the thought!!) TIGER would be history.

Yes it does, and to me, it makes the building appear to lack continuity. I'd rather it have the parking base match the burnt orange-to-yellow pastel-ish colors in the residential high-rise portion which, in itself, I'm not doing handstands over looks wise.

In the past, Joe has spoken out about State funding issues before it was a crisis, notably surrounding the rising costs of diesel fuel and, believe it or not, I applauded him for it here... Even though he can't lobby, per se, as the chief of the biggest and baddest transit agency in Ohio (and one of the top ones in the Midwest and even America on some levels), I believe he can make his presence felt more than he is now, especially at this time of crisis onn funding, railcars, infrastructure issues etc.. I specifically don't like the way he's handling the rail issue on a number of levels. I thought his reaction to All Aboard Ohio (AAO) and others about the Blue/Green car deterioration was petty and absurd; as if AAO was Chicken Little or something. The out-of-service elevator in the Tower City temporary station is ridiculous and perhaps an ADA violation. I think there's a lack of trust between RTA management and the public over these constant rail shutdowns and a lack of transparency as to why they're happening is a major problem. Dirty buses, trains and rail ROWs is an issue too. These are just some of the problems I see with Joe C's administration... Believe me, there are more.

I missed this when ColDay posted it... Great news. I know Michigan & Trumbull where Tigers' Stadium sat is like Holy Land to many Detroiters, but it's been an empty eyesore since the decaying building was finally demolished in 2009 after the Tigers split for Comerica Park. At least, apparently, the ball field itself will remain... Also Corktown needs a spark. While there are some funky clubs along Michigan Ave -- most notably Slows -- and interesting old homes are in Corktown, the area seems dead and forlorn. This should definitely help. ^The Brewster-Douglass development is huge and very sexy looking... Central Motown is seriously on a roll.

Does Joe Calabrese do anything other than plan for cuts? I haven't seen him out front of: - trying to maintain buses, trains and facilities. (even assuring that the 1 stinkin' elevator is working for the alternate TC station during track reconstruction thus putting the agency in an ADA violation status) - trying to secure funding to offset the steep Medicaid-related cuts next year, including brainstorming and lobbying for alternative tax/funding schemes - seeking TOD development for rail stations - Coming up with a comprehensive rail expansion plan for the future But from reports I've read, he's already mapped out what cuts he will implement next year should no more funding materialize. What a great transit GM Joe C is...

^Nice job TPH2. I said tree planter grates when, obviously, there weren't grates just the trees and grass/soil. Looking at it now with your photos, it makes sense to ditch them and go with the planters. The extra sidewalk room is a plus, while there are still trees and green space in the median(s) plus the planter flowers against the wall. Works for me.

^I'm sorry the trees are gone; I can only imagine how bare the street looks without them. But I don't have a problem with the narrow sidewalks on Euclid. It was only a tiny hassle walking around them and over their planter grates, esp when parking on the street. MRN obviously made a determination that Uptown's buildings would crowd the street to give more of a kinetic feeling of excitement while, for the east pavilion, putting the outdoor dining along the courtyard between Uptown's buildings and the Triangle apts. I think, for the most part, this approach has been successful. I'm more than pleased with everything they've done.

I felt all along that it was silly poor planning not to link these projects from the beginning. I thought this should also have included access directly to the convention center which was in the planning to be rebuilt around the time both the NCTC and bridge were being discussed.

^Yeah, I've had this happen, too. In fact it was during the Flats open house around Memorial Day. In the evening while heading back to TC and east to Shaker, a driver of that blue-wrapped AT&T LRT train zipped right past me and 2 other people at the FEB station when it was raining. We all looked at each other with WTF shrugs.. I didn't even bother to report it though I know I should have. I don't know about the otheres, though. RTA seems to do everything to make the WFL service unattractive so people will have reason not to like or use it and the Mark Naymik's of the world will trash it and Calabrese can cut it... I despise the way RTA is running its operations.

^This is sweet news; let's hope the financing closes soon and the complex can break ground. This would be one of Cleveland's more visible, recent TOD projects and really serve as the glue to bind Uptown to Little Italy.... The silence surrounding this project has had me worried it might not materialize.

Yep, that's what rail transit tends to do. Downtown Cincy and OTR already have a lot going for them. The streetcars will only enhance this. I'm hoping yesterday was only a start and that this new loop will be the start of a much larger rapid transit network for the Queen City.

This is why American's turn me off as privileged, spoiled and lazy (I'm not including you btw). How the hell do people not know Strickland or Portman who served/are serving as governor and U.S. Senator!? This is why I often see sports, entertainment, etc for too many people as being an unhealthy distraction as well as a healthy diversion. People are too driven by what Ohio State football, the Browns or Reds are doing rather than paying attention to more critical issues in life.

Big Congrats to Cincinnati!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

So it's probably broken again by now. Or peed in, though I don't know if that is considered an ADA issue or not. Damn, are they peeing in the TC elevator too!? I thought that was reserved for places like Ohio City where, maybe it's time to either install a bathroom or place a port-a-potty nearby... Well then, maybe either a TV camera or stationed RTA cop would curb this nasty practice... Oops, bad idea since RTA would have to come out-of-pocket for any of this. So I guess RTA's minimalist solution -- the dual use bathroom/elevator -- will continue well into the future.

^Technicalities aside, the more important point is Indiana got it done -- whether it be these individual counties themselves or in tandem with the state, the failing South Shore was bailed out and saved with South Shore's profitable freight service separated and run by a private/semi-private corporation.... However these Indiana counties did it, NEO and RTA should move to follow suit for even expanded commuter bus service let alone commuter rail lines. It's been way too easy to do nothing --- RTA + NEO public officials have thrown up their hands in hopeless exasperation without seriously taking the necessary steps toward a solution. Indeed, nothing positive is happening in Greater Cleveland regarding transit funding these days. Not only have there just been a fare increase along with round of serious service cuts, more cuts are on the way with the RTA's (and other agencies') of Medicaid taxing monies next year. Meanwhile Blue/Green Line cars are falling apart and RTA apparently barely has enough to cover normal weekly service let alone special events. (and from what I'm hearing, even the Browns' home opener the following week is going to present a serious challenge re Blue/Green/Waterfront service). As far as the public, like me, sees it, nobody is seriously doing anything about any of this -- if they are it's being done behind closed doors, which is a problem in itself.

NICTD Please? http://www.mysouthshoreline.com/ Back in the late 70s, early-80s when the Grim Reaper was poised to euthanize the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend railroad, the State of Indiana dove in to save the famed electric interurban line by creating Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) to fund it and keep it alive. Since that time, the NICTD has fully assumed the South Shore Line's operations and is greatly improving service, including installing new catenary, adding new bi-level cars, extensively double tracking service (including all 25 miles from Gary to Michigan City), etc, to the extent that demand for the line is has risen considerably. The Chicago Tribune recently wrote that demand for housing along Lake Michigan's south shore is way up and that the South Shore Line is a key reason why... NICTD is even planning a 9-mile extension from Hammond to Munster, IN. Why not Northern Ohio? Why couldn't our beloved state government create a several county district to allow expansion of RTA services, esp commuter rail, into these areas? Why wait for these foot-dragging counties to act? This is especially true of Lorain County, where the I-90 corridor was one of the few in the Cleveland metro area that actually grew per the 2010 census... ... just a thought. Board members include representatives from the 4 northern Indiana counties served by the South Shore Line along with an appointee by the Governor of Indiana.

^Back to the future (as in 1985 with the British Leyland DMU which, although not dual powered, did switch from NS tracks from Mentor to RTA's tracks to enter the then Shaker (Blue-Green) Terminal Tower station... This is still a smart way to go with all the lightly used RR ROW's radiating from Cleveland. I'm probably, though, one of the lone holdouts who believes the NS tracks and/or ROW, from the Red Line's West Blvd/Cudell station west through downtown Lakewood and perhaps at least to Rocky River, should be a fully electrified, rapid transit service. Why? Because the area it would serve has Chicago-like density and includes the long, energetic downtown Lakewood walking district.

Yeah, we'll see... I also am not disabled but had a pulled muscle in my calf which made climbing those stairs a trial. I busy, 12-story office building with 6 elevators shuttling workers all day and into the evening. I can count may 1 or 2 times a year that even one of these elevators are down (and when they're down, it's for 1/2 day at most)... Something is really weird how RTA could have such issues with just 1 elevator at it's major transit hub where planning for this temp station contingency should have been well planned for months, or even a year, ahead of time.

As I had said...not surprised it continues to go out of service on a regular basis. Your words can't be emphasized enough: this is the MAIN station of RTA, as in the hub station and the busiest, by far, and this situation has been allowed to happen... and continue.

Was on RTA quite a bit this Labor Day weekend. Some observations: THE GOOD - Downtown Trolleys were nice; fun. - Red Line to Ohio City, from TC was fine. THE BAD - Blue and Green Line cars were all filthy. Trash + sticky, liquid gunk on the floors. We caught one of the earlier trains on Saturday, so obviously the car hadn't been even lightly serviced the night before. - The well-built, very attractive Lee-Van Aken station is looking a bit run down just less than 1-year of operation. The Exit sign over the westbound platform was broken, hanging by its wire. Weeds next to the platforms and up the stairs haven't been trimmed at all and are encroaching into the passenger areas. - The new Blue/Green/Waterfront schedules with the much-discussed service cuts are unavailable. The schedules at Tower City are all dated "April 10th." When I asked RTA/TC personnel, nobody knew about the schedules or the service cuts. They recommended we call RTA for further information. - The elevator at the temporary westbound Tower City station is STILL OUT. It has been out for practically the entire time the temp station has been in operation, which is simply ridiculous. How can RTA spent all this time arranging for the temporary station during track rebuilding with only 1 elevator and it obviously hasn't been properly service. This is especially true given the higher-than-normal climb from track level to the Public Square level this station requires. Yeah, it was good exercise, but we both were somewhat sweaty from the experience. I can only imagine the problems caused to the elderly and ambulatory challenged.... inexcusable. I had an out-of-town guest who, while complimentary of the concept of our rail service, was appalled by the filthy cars... I don't buy the "RTA is too poor" argument to keep its rail services in this bad of shape. Maintaining crappy, dirty cars and decaying stations is a choice not a necessity. This situation didn't just suddenly materialize during the latest funding crisis. Rapid transit maintenance under Calabrese was crappy even when RTA was boasting a slight surplus a few years ago (the Shaker ROW, esp west of Shaker Sq. is overgrown with a lot of trash, esp just west of the MLK bridge... this hasn't changed and is unacceptable).

Part of it is in Lakewood so there's no combined promotion. It's all one big walkable happy place, but it's technically several neighborhoods in two cities, with the border street tying everything together. Edgewater, The Edge, Gold Coast, Birdtown, Cudell, and "Highland Square" which may involve Detroit or Madison it's never quite clear. There's no consistent branding and no entity charged with treating it as a thing. And it's still the coolest part of town, with a full range of nightlife and a half dozen live music venues, plus its own skyline. Promotion on the Lakewood side centers on Birdtown with its distinct branding. There's no apparent interest in tying Birdtown to anything across the line or toward the lake. The Cleveland side considers Edgewater a part of Cudell, which extends down to the Lorain/Denison area, which definitely needs more help. Edgewater has stronger ties to Lakewood than to Cudell but the political setup makes coordination difficult. For good urban living I recommend it to everyone, I just don't know what to call it except "Anything around 117th north of the tracks... no, the other tracks." I get you 327, but if they had to, couldn't CLE+ at least promote the Cleveland side? ... btw, I don't believe in idea that Cleveland neighborhood promotions shouldn't just end at the border. So what if you include great urban areas like the Lakewood Gold Coast or downtown Lakewood, or CH's Coventry, Cedar-Lee or Cedar Fairmount? ... Those maps are weird since they even cut parts of Cleveland off... they don't even show the entire Rapid system. I wonder who's idea this is.

^No brick around the backside!? Sounds a little cheesy esp given the nice look of the fronts of those buildings... Love the old fire station, esp the classic red tile roof.

That's two weeks away. I just walked past it yesterday and it doesn't look like its been touched. There were workers in there today. Glad to see this coming in (yeah, it's a Taco Bell... but a higher-end Taco Bell). Much better than that long-been ex-Cadillac Ranch eyesore corner of Euclid.