KJP

I hope the yellow house has good gutters and downspouts...

Posted by @UkuleleCLE on the Twitterz The attacks in #Cleveland this last weekend were abhorrent. But those who say the downtown is "riddled with violence" obviously don't live here. The only times I've felt unsafe downtown are when SUV drivers from the suburbs come to our city for a ballgame and nearly run me down

Downtown Lakefront projects flow By Ken Prendergast / July 11, 2023 Several large-scale projects along downtown Cleveland’s lakefront are moving forward thanks to developments in recent days. In addition to multi-million-dollar grants being awarded for lakefront projects, the City Planning Commission approved plans for the $100 million expansion of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Also, a national nonprofit that promotes racial equity revealed it is partnering with the city on designing an inclusive lakefront. And plans for converting the Shoreway highway into a boulevard are crystalizing but may complicate Amtrak’s passenger rail expansion plans. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/07/11/downtown-lakefront-projects-flow/

Holy cow!!

I think you have us confused with suburban areas and small towns. Stop watching Fux Snooz... https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/gun-deaths-more-likely-small-towns-major-cities https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/map-gun-death-rates-lower-cities-than-rural-counties-rcna81462 https://www.ncja.org/crimeandjusticenews/gun-violence-rates-in-rural-areas-match-or-outpace-cities

Maybe the Chagrin River valley is. But most of the Metroparks can be quickly and easily crossed on multiple high-capacity roads and some interstate highways, which only supports the sprawl.

Amtrak and the city are working on the assumption that there is no other option for a passenger rail station downtown until some other political or business mover-and-shaker causes the powers to consider Tower City. Just as there are complications with the lakefront site (East 18th extension), there are complications with the Tower City site (city possibly illegally giving away its lien to the route CVSR would take into downtown -- and existing Amtrak service isn't going to move to Tower City unless CVSR is there too).

A potentially significant complication to the Amtrak Connects US plan in Cleveland

Wow. And thanks for the bike appearance amid the post-apocalyptic ruins!

They're also going to be demo'ing the houses behind it for parking. I seem to recall a local musician owns this property.

So here's two problems.... This is the proposed design of the East 18th Street extension. The first problem is the inclusion of ramps to/from the surely to be lightly used port access road (unless Greyhound can use it to access an intermodal center for which it has shown little interest). The placement of this ramp prevents any redevelopment of the municipal parking lots at this location unless vehicular access comes from the proposed new boulevard. But what about pedestrian access into downtown? Second problem.... Look at how the city of Cleveland and ODOT have proposed the extension of East 18th Street as part of the conversion of the Shoreway to a boulevard. It would wipe out the west half of the ex-East 26th Street Yard site that would be needed for a build-out of the Amtrak ConnectsUS vision. That vision not only includes new trains originating and terminating in Cleveland to/from Columbus and Cincinnati but also to/from Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh/New York City and Buffalo/New York City. Ironically, the project sponsors would have to acquire Amtrak property to do this (Amtrak is a dba for the National Railroad Passenger Corp.). Although Amtrak is a party to the discussions of the North Coast Connector/land bridge, I wonder if they're aware of this? Wouldn't it be ironic if Amtrak gets a cool new station for Cleveland from the lakefront redevelopment but loses one of the few places to store/service trains for that cool new station from that very same redevelopment? Here's the proposed East 18th ramp, which is needed to divert traffic from the East 9th intersection when the Shoreway is converted into a boulevard. The ramp is needed so East 18th can gradually descend from an approximate roadway surface height of about 640-645 feet above sea level over Norfolk Southern (the two southernmost tracks) down to about 585 feet. -- the current elevation of the Shoreway. Amtrak's property is shown below. Amtrak bought this land in 1979 as a back-up for a station site in case the the city land on which their existing station occupies rent-free is suddenly taken from them for city needs. I'm assuming that the real estate people at Amtrak are talking to the development and government affairs people at Amtrak, so that the Amtrak-owned property isn't thoughtlessly discarded for this roadway ramp. But I can't assume this, so I contacted an old friend there. This is how Amtrak and the State of Ohio had intended to use the East 26th Street Yard for the several daily trains between Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. More tracks and facilities would be needed to accommodate additional trains to Detroit, Chicago and the East Coast.

Siemens and GCRTA issued this press release this morning but I don't see anything new in it. Siemens Mobility to replace Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Red Line fleet with 24 S200 LRVs • 24 Siemens Mobility S200 LRVs to connect communities from East Cleveland to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport • Increases fleet reliability, safety, and sustainability The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has selected Siemens Mobility to replace GCRTA’s Red Line fleet. GCRTA’s purchase of 24 S200 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) includes an option for up to 36 additional vehicles which would replace GCRTA’s Blue and Green Line fleet. “These new LRVs are catalytic for the health and economics of Greater Cleveland. They will promote increased ridership and encourage transit-oriented development along the Red Line communities from East Cleveland to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport,” said GCRTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, India L. Birdsong Terry. This achievement was made possible by the support GCRTA received from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). “We greatly appreciate your support for the rail car replacement program and GCRTA,” added Terry. “My team looks forward to partnering with Siemens Mobility Inc. in bringing these new light rail vehicles to the greater Cleveland area.” “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided our customers the opportunity to make necessary updates to their cities’ infrastructure. We are grateful to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority for selecting us as their partner as they continue to enhance their community with reliable, safe, and sustainable transportation,” said Michael Cahill, President of Siemens Mobility Rolling Stock in North America. “With this updated fleet of LRVs we are proud to offer passengers enhanced accessibility, technology, and safety, making their daily commutes easier and more enjoyable.” GCRTA’s current heavy and light rail fleets are 39 and 42 years old, exceeding the design life of typical transit passenger rail cars. Delivery of the new S200 LRVs is scheduled to be completed in four years. The new high floor vehicles will feature two door heights for high- and low-level platform accessibility, allowing the trains to operate on both the Red Line and the Blue and Green Line tracks. The base order will serve the Red Line and as modifications to the existing platforms on the Blue and Green Lines are made, additional options may be exercised. GCRTA received a grant of $130M from the Federal Transit Administration through the FY22/23 Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, a new program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The S200 LRVs offer the highest standards of passenger experience: featuring a modern design with 52 easy-to-clean seats for the highest level of sanitation, additional standing room, four wheelchair areas for enhanced accessibility, two bicycle racks, and an advanced infotainment system. In addition, the vehicles will be built to withstand the coldest Cleveland days, with ice cutting technology and a modern operator cab area with a dedicated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit, heated windshield, and enhanced visibility. The final design will be co-created by GCRTA and Siemens Mobility over the next 15-month period, before being built at Siemens Mobility’s rail manufacturing facility in Sacramento, CA. GCRTA is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. It is the largest transit agency in Ohio, with an annual ridership of over 19 million. GCRTA is one of more than 35 transit agencies across North America benefiting from Siemens Mobility’s portfolio of rail vehicles, locomotives, components, and automation systems. American cities rely on Siemens Mobility to provide reliable, safe, and sustainable transportation solutions. ###

My bad. That's July, not August.

Yay! The month-long bus bridge between Tower City and East 55th Street stations ends today. All rail service runs through the east side to downtown again. However the east side Red Line will be shut down July 15-16 from Tower City to Windermere for work on the East 75th Street bridge over the tracks.

I don't recall anything special planned.

Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited was also canceled south of Albany, disrupting service between the Ohio cities of Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria and Cleveland to New York City.

We frequently eat out so I'd like to support this new place. In looking at their menu, I'm confused as what their style of food or theme is.

More thoughts and prayers? So much weakness and cowardice in the face of the enemy.

Sometimes some motorists crash through the gates and sometimes people drive right in the side of a moving train.

I'm reluctantly posting this here. My reluctance is because I fear this will turn into a political debate rather than a discussion of how urban sprawl and its destruction of community have caused some good and bad aspects to fill in the void. On the good side, my wife, son and I go to Ukrainian festivals but they're almost always hosted by churches rather in town squares in walkable urban neighborhoods. We do not follow religions. It's irrelevant to us who hosts them as long as they exist. On the other hand....

This should be made into a campaign sign

Train 48, the eastbound Lake Shore Ltd, left Cleveland on time at 5:50 am. Just 1 mile east of the station, a car drove into the path of the train. The lead locomotive had no noticeable damage as it went by the Northeast, PA webcam at 11:30 am -- 4 hours late.

Probably. But other properties/sites appear to have more activity, or at least rumors of activity. BTW, demo may start today for Apartments at Bolivar.

And it's the county that's in the driver's seat on the courthouse, albeit with input from the city. The county is issuing the RFP, but hasn't been issued yet. It was supposed to be issued in the spring, but it was intended to accept RFPs for either building a new courthouse or rebuilding the existing one. I get the sense the delay was on building a consensus from the Justice Center Steering Committee members on whether to accept RFPs for both new/rebuild or just one -- new. If I were a betting man, I'd bet new courthouse tower. To me, the biggest question is: will the court of appeals and probate court also be part of the new courthouse tower? If so, the courthouse will add another 200,000 square feet or so to the 877,000-square-foot basic scale. While I want the new courthouse to be a skyscraper, it doesn't have to be. Past comments by the steering committee show that they prefer to save money by keeping the courthouse in the 15- to 20-story range (atop a 4-5 level parking pedestal for about 1,000 cars). Floorplates in the 65,000-75,000-square-foot range would allow that, but you could divide that into two towers atop an atrium shared below both buildings. I think the Bedrock riverfront site makes a lot of sense for the new courthouse, to create a sort-of "Courthouse Square" with the Stokes Tower. If so, a two-tower courthouse atop a parking-atrium footprint of 100,000 square feet would easily fit between Stokes and the proposed public space stepping down to the river's edge without crowding Stokes. Something like this.... (first, the city-approved masterplan) Then the courthouse tower concept. Two 15-story towers with 35,000 SF floorplates atop a 100,000 SF atrium-over-parking garage for 1,200 cars (four level garage)...

The city forgets about these things and the property owners aren't going to remind them.