July 10, 201212 yr Excellent photos. That's bridge is such a magnificent piece of engineering that it's almost criminal to not be using that lower deck for something like light rail to Lakewood and beyond, right down Clifton with its abundantly wide right of way.
July 11, 201212 yr Nice pictures. I wish they would remove those wooden boards on the ground though. I always like the original experience of walking across and being able to look down at the river below.
July 11, 201212 yr Hi Smith, Thanks for posting. GREAT Photos, you have a very good eye. We probably passed each other at some point on this tour... I've been on this tour many a times - always just happening to stumble upon the announcement in the PD. I don't read the PD on a regular basis, but somehow always seem to catch the announcements when this incredible treasure is open to the public... I seek out unique Cleveland experiences and this one is definitely up there in my top 10. Thanks for capturing the essence of this incredible tour in your photos!
July 11, 201212 yr One of my favorite tours I've ever done. Thanks! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 11, 201212 yr I was also there, right at 9 am to drop off materials at All Aboard Ohio's display table and to avoid the day's heat. Even so, I was dripping with sweat after walking the 1.5 miles from the subway junction below Massimo de Milano to the West 9th station and back in the 75-degree dewpoint temp! And I agree, you have a good eye, smith! That bridge has many artistic angles, curves and other features, and I think you found all of them and more. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 11, 201212 yr Nice. I saw the notice the weekend prior, but I couldn't make it up for a second Cleveland visit in as many weeks. Looks great after all these years, but the deterioration in the station is pretty steep!
July 11, 201212 yr Perhaps they've added another day to the ones they typically open the lower deck to the public. Popular demand, maybe? For the past several years they've opened it on Saturdays of Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Since the first time I saw the bridge, in 1978, I've been fascinated by it. It's a magnificent structure, and it was designed in-house by people in the Cuyahoga County Engineer's office, not by some big-name engineering firm in a major east-coast city. It was completed in 1917 with a hundred feet of clearance above the river, to allow ships to pass without the frequent traffic interruptions caused by opening the former swing bridge section of the 1867 old viaduct. The lower deck provided space for up to six streetcar tracks, although I think only four ever were built and put into service. Incidentally, the Lorain-Carnegie (now Hope Memorial) Viaduct also was built with a lower deck for anticipated future streetcar/subway routes that never were built. Space was provided for four tracks. Utility lines now run there, and there's access for service vehicles from the garage structure at the west end of the bridge. I first learned about this after I saw a truck there from the deck of the Goodtime III, and did some research.
July 11, 201212 yr Thanks all. It is a pretty neat spot to check out. I saw it a few years back when they had Ingenuity on it. They really need to do something with this and soon! How about a lowline akin to NYC's highline? That would be pretty cool.
June 14, 201411 yr I heard it would be open July 5, but I don't see anything on the Web about it. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 14, 201411 yr Perhaps they've added another day to the ones they typically open the lower deck to the public. Popular demand, maybe? For the past several years they've opened it on Saturdays of Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Since the first time I saw the bridge, in 1978, I've been fascinated by it. It's a magnificent structure, and it was designed in-house by people in the Cuyahoga County Engineer's office, not by some big-name engineering firm in a major east-coast city. It was completed in 1917 with a hundred feet of clearance above the river, to allow ships to pass without the frequent traffic interruptions caused by opening the former swing bridge section of the 1867 old viaduct. The lower deck provided space for up to six streetcar tracks, although I think only four ever were built and put into service. Incidentally, the Lorain-Carnegie (now Hope Memorial) Viaduct also was built with a lower deck for anticipated future streetcar/subway routes that never were built. Space was provided for four tracks. Utility lines now run there, and there's access for service vehicles from the garage structure at the west end of the bridge. I first learned about this after I saw a truck there from the deck of the Goodtime III, and did some research. Interesting--never knew that about the Lorain Carnegie.
June 30, 201410 yr Are the cost to re-use this space astronomical, or is it pointless to have rail down here due to the W.25 station?
June 30, 201410 yr Are the cost to re-use this space astronomical, or is it pointless to have rail down here due to the W.25 station? My guess would be no, and that it would make great sense to put trolley's back in there. And I think it's far enough from the existing W. 25 station to be feasible. A ramp up at/near W. 28 could create a tram line that could serve the north sides of Ohio City, Detroit-Shoreway and possibly Edgewater/Edgewater Park... I would connect the other end into old/extant Shaker Rapid station.
June 30, 201410 yr Are the cost to re-use this space astronomical, or is it pointless to have rail down here due to the W.25 station? My guess would be no, and that it would make great sense to put trolley's back in there. And I think it's far enough from the existing W. 25 station to be feasible. A ramp up at/near W. 28 could create a tram line that could serve the north sides of Ohio City, Detroit-Shoreway and possibly Edgewater/Edgewater Park... I would connect the other end into old/extant Shaker Rapid station. I've long thought extended the Shaker Lines westbound via the bridge would be amazing. Make it a subway (like Philly's westside trolley lines) to 98 street CTS station. Then route the trains along Clifton or Lake at surface level.
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