KJP

Thanks Uncle Joe

Yep, we're not as great as we think we are https://x.com/the_transit_guy/status/1737910859697959204?s=20 The European Union has unveiled an agreement wherein the core network of the 27 countries must have rail systems capable of speeds of 160 kph (99 mph) or faster by 2040. The economy of the US is $10 trillion larger. This country really needs to step it up.

Record Rendezvous building among historic renovation awards By Ken Prendergast / December 21, 2023 An historic building in Downtown Cleveland that housed Record Rendezvous, where the term "rock and roll" was reportedly first used to describe the genre, was awarded tax credits to aid in its restoration. It was among dozens of historic buildings across the state that were awarded credits today by the Ohio Department of Development. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/21/record-rendezvous-building-among-historic-renovation-awards/

East 105th: What difference a decade makes By Ken Prendergast / December 21, 2023 For many Greater Clevelanders and visitors, they now enter the Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus and the University Circle area on the new Opportunity Corridor Boulevard. But few traveled this way before the boulevard was completed in late-2021 and may not have a full appreciation of how much the scenery along their commute or visits have changed in less than a decade. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/21/east-105th-what-difference-a-decade-makes/

A summary of out-of-state stuff.... Brightline’s new Las Vegas train line could be the start of a U.S. high-speed rail revolution. The big picture is that America has never been more bullish on high-speed rail. Thanks to the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the government has big bucks to dole out to signature projects. And, at least for now, the nation has a president eager to get those projects underway….Even as it steals California High-Speed Rail’s thunder, Brightline West could be a blessing in disguise for its beleaguered sibling. Preliminary studies indicate massive ridership and revenue boosts if the two systems are linked by a proposed rail line known as the High-Desert Corridor. A state-of-the-art high-speed rail service, connecting the nation’s tourism and media capitals, could also do a lot for the high-speed rail industry’s political fortunes. https://www.fastcompany.com/90997250/american-high-speed-rail-has-never-been-closer-to-reality-can-it-cross-the-finish-line Rick Haglund: Will billionaire Dan Gilbert lead Michigan in developing long-awaited transit? Metro Detroit leaders have asserted for decades that the lack of a comprehensive public transit system is a major economic development drag on the region and state. They’ve made little progress in building it, though. But Michigan could be experiencing a turning point in getting serious about transit, as evidenced by Gilbert’s potential influence, Amtrak’s new transit proposals and other developments….And on Thursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Growing Michigan Together Council” issued its final report, calling for greater investment in transit. https://michiganadvance.com/2023/12/17/rick-haglund-will-billionaire-dan-gilbert-lead-michigan-in-developing-long-awaited-transit/ OPINION: National rail investments are leaving NM in the dust. December has been a great month for passenger rail in the United States. Billions of dollars were granted to projects in several states for the construction of new high- and conventional-speed passenger lines, and millions doled out across the country to study and develop new routes in order to bring them to shovel-ready status. Unfortunately, none of these projects benefit New Mexico, save for our friends in Deming and Lordsburg that may see Amtrak’s Sunset Limited a little more often. https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/opinion-national-rail-investments-are-leaving-nm-in-the-dust/article_d5e80ec6-987a-11ee-8307-2f4713cd7b5a.html Second Amtrak route in ND won’t impact Empire Builder service. A plan to reinstate a southern Amtrak passenger route in North Dakota would bring no change to Amtrak’s Empire Builder service, said a spokesman for the passenger rail service….On the Empire Builder’s route, Magliari said, there are improvements being done in the Malta, Montana, area. Malta is about 340 miles west of Minot. According to an Amtrak news release, the Malta, Montana, Corridor Operational Enhancement Project, an up to $14.9 million project, will improve the Empire Builder service by eliminating critical bottlenecks that cause delays and operational conflicts for freight and passenger trains. https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2023/12/second-amtrak-route-in-nd-wont-impact-empire-builder-service/ Editorial: With bullet train sidetracked, upgrade Cascades. The decision last week from the Federal Railroad Administration — to sidetrack a funding request for further study of an “ultra-high speed” rail line from Vancouver, B.C. to Portland, Ore., via Everett, Seattle and Olympia — should signal state leaders to switch tracks to a plan that would refurbish the current north-south Amtrak Cascades line, while still significantly cutting travel times between cities and seeing completion possibly decades earlier….Seizing on last week’s news, a coalition of transportation and environmental groups, calling itself Solutionary Rail, is seeking support for a long-range plan to outfit the Amtrak Cascades rail line for higher-speed electric trains, similar to the Acela trains common on the East Coast that can reach speeds of more than 110 mph. https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-with-bullet-train-sidetracked-upgrade-cascades/ Editorial: Plan for rail future. While some would say that nostalgia is driving the pressure for passenger rail, rather than real demand for train service when car transportation is so cheap and convenient, we say that the future needs to be planned for. Ohio has railroad routes in abundance, and multiple cities that could benefit from convenient mass transit connections….Train travel is a natural for Ohio, and Toledo, which has an outstanding train station. The award of study funding was a response to coordinated support in Ohio. https://www.toledoblade.com/opinion/editorials/2023/12/18/editorial-plan-for-rail-future/stories/20231218016 After 34 years, Texas might finally get a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. Texas Central, a private company, launched the project with significant backing from Texas investors in 2014. It planned to connect North Texas to Houston with a stop in the Brazos Valley near Texas A&M University. The train would reduce the hours-long drive to 90 minutes between the state’s two biggest cities, and represented the most advanced effort toward Texas high-speed rail since a failed project in the 1990s. However, as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the transportation industry, many thought the project was doomed. That is until recently, when two key developments breathed new life into the project. Amtrak entered the picture as a potential partner in August, and then the project won a $500,000 Corridor ID grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to develop a scope of work and budget. https://www.fastcompany.com/91000949/after-34-years-texas-might-finally-get-a-high-speed-rail-line-between-dallas-and-houston What’s next in the push to restore southern Montana’s passenger rail service. “Two big things that were nested under the bipartisan infrastructure act are playing out now. The $500,000 grant we were awarded last week puts us in the planning pipeline for project implementation. It’s huge for us. We also helped develop language in the 2021 infrastructure act directing the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration to study former Amtrak routes that could be brought back into service as well as brand new routes of 750 miles or more. The final report for the Amtrak daily long-distance service study is expected next spring or summer, and we expect to be included in it.” https://montanafreepress.org/2023/12/18/whats-next-in-the-push-to-restore-southern-montanas-passenger-rail-service/ Announcement raises Indy's hopes for a high-speed transformation. “This is a first step toward expanding passenger rail in Indiana,” INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said in a press release. “Receiving this funding allows us to gather essential information to make more informed decisions going forward.” Amtrak also qualified for a federal grant of up to $500,000 to look into expanding its Cardinal service from three to seven days a week. And the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency qualified for a similar grant of up to $500,000 to investigate potentially bringing back rail service to connect Louisville and Indy. https://www.reporter.net/indiana/news/announcement-raises-indys-hopes-for-a-high-speed-transformation/article_ffa74886-9a90-11ee-ae1b-f326515781b9.html

The county courts would probably want to follow the US government’s lead..... That said, employee parking under the building(s) might require taller buildings like this....

Those numbers are pre-pandemic. Probably less nowadays.

Here's the first article..... Brooklyn Masonic Hall gets new lease on life By Ken Prendergast / December 20, 2023 A Masonic rehabilitation has a different meaning in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood these days. At 3804 Pearl Rd., it means the renovation and repurposing of a 25,536-square-foot Brooklyn Masonic Temple into 26 market-rate apartments over two ground-floor commercial spaces bracketing the building’s terrazzo-, marble- and wood-laden lobby. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/20/brooklyn-masonic-hall-gets-new-lease-on-life/

The Main Avenue Bridge is very similar in design and construction to the former Inner Belt bridge. The only major differences between the two is that Main Avenue Bridge is about 15 years older and sees only about 30,000-40,000 cars per day and few trucks while the Inner Belt gets 150,000-160,000 vehicles per day many of which are trucks. It cost something like $600 million to replace the Inner Belt bridge 10-15 years ago with two new bridges. Is that scale of cost justified for the lighter traffic that the Main Avenue Bridge gets?

It's in an historic district. Landmarks didn't want to see 100-year-old houses demolished even though they're dumps. The developer laughs at America's sense of history because he lived in a 1,000-year-old castle when he was a kid in Greece. Wonder if Greece's landmarks commission complained because it was built near structures that were already 1,500 years old? I'm writing the article about the Lofts on the Pearl today and planned to write about the second phase in a week or so. Hard news articles are tough to come by at this time of the year.

Try that, monsters, and it's war

Unknown. I've heard that there are leasing conversations going on regarding the western half of the riverfront site. BTW, the Uhaul truck was parked on the street next to Oklahoma City federal building, not below it. A bigger threat is the massive quantities of hazardous materials rolling by on the adjacent railroad tracks. Any railroad buff could tell you how easy it is to identify what is being shipped, where it is in real time and how to destroy it.

Nice of you guys to say, but no one wants to hire a 56-year-old so he can retire on their nickel in just a few years. Anyhoo, the point of the article is there is going to be massive public works projects coming from this $4 billion influx in the coming years. How can we use it to make downtown a better place for decades to come? The first answer -- by getting the jail out of downtown. Addition by subtraction. Then move the courthouse and its thousands of workers and daily visitors to energize a new location. Then, what do we do with the Justice Center campus which is going to be partially or wholly vacated? How do we reboot this site to help pivot downtown away from its dependency on the office market?

Plus all the other stuff coming to this portion of Superior ... https://neo-trans.blog/2023/09/27/whats-next-in-superior-arts-district/

We stayed in Downtown Fort Lauderdale in 2019, walked over to the Brightline station ans rode down to Miami. Outside of the area around the Miami Central Station, the streetlife in downtown Miami was zero. Lots of blank walls and parking garages along the sidewalks. So we grabbed a bus over to Miami Beach which is much more lively at street level. BTW never take a taxi in Miami Beach -- he forced my wife, 6-year-old son and I out when we got stopped by heavy traffic on the causeway trying to head back to Miami Central.

Starting with Pittsburgh's Manchester neighborhood which was destroyed by PA Route 65

Thanks again to @Geowizical for the renders! Three big county projects about to advance By Ken Prendergast / December 18, 2023 Fifteen years ago, when the Great Recession could let someone go bowling down East 9th Street without hitting anyone, three major construction projects were about to get started and provide the city of Cleveland with much-needed economic stimulus. Back then, construction of the new Huntington Convention Center, the Flats East Bank redevelopment, and the new Inner Belt highway bridges represented a total public works investment of nearly $1.5 billion. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/12/18/three-big-county-projects-about-to-advance/

Yes

Unless they grow organically

@MuRrAy HiLL been in the news a while. See my article from September of 2022... https://neo-trans.blog/2022/09/09/money-turning-circle-east-plan-to-reality/

@Mov2Ohio Doing some railfanning from East 152nd at Colliwood Yards? Nice job catching a two-train meet coming off the Short Line.

Booming next to Brightline

Second-largest development in the USA behind Hudson Yards, and it's located one block east of Brightline's Miami Central station which is getting Tri-Rail commuter trains on two routes. Thousands of new rental apartments in Miami Worldcenter to increase downtown housing https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article279876259.html

I heard someone was leaving. I figured Stan Bullard was retiring. Sorry to hear it's @mjarboe. In competition, the customer usually wins.

@TBideon And Smuckers... https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/smuckers-core-weeks-return-to-office-policy-is-working/458148 And Kroger... https://www.wlwt.com/article/kroger-return-to-office-cincinnati-work-from-home/46103305