October 22, 200618 yr This is a great project, KJP your illustrations are quite amazing. I would love it if there were no downtown cut thru. The east side would be able to reconnect it's jagged neighborhoods.
October 25, 200618 yr Public Meeting Regarding Bridge Design in St. Clair Superior DATE: October 26, 2006 PLACE: St. Clair Superior Development Corp, 4205 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44103 Phone - 216-881-0644 TIME: 5:30 pm
October 27, 200618 yr Thanks for the note on the meeting, Blinker. Here's the 411: - The meeting was regarding repairs to the E. 55th Bridge over the Shoreway. It is not a full reconstruction and is not a part of the overall realignment and reconstruction of the Inner Belt. - ODOT is repairing the deck of the bridge, as well as the sidewalks, and is also adding bike lanes (this will make St. Clair Superior much more bicycle accessible, as it will provide safer connection between the Lakefront Trail and S. Marginal Rd. (as well as other arteries deeper in the neighborhood). - The Cleveland Planning Dept. is advocating for aesthetic improvements as a part of the project. ODOT representatives seem receptive to adding an inlay pattern on either the inside or outside of the deck (but not both), basic, ornamental fencing and lettering that says "Cleveland" either in the fencing or along the deck (apparently, the only permittable lettering on an ODOT-maintained road is the name of the city or the name of the cross street ... no one at the meeting seemed warm to the ring of "E. 55th Street" going up. - ODOT representatives suggested that lighting of the signage would likely be outside the scope of the project. Such lighting would have to be paid by the municipality or a private interest and would have to be mounted from the sides of the bridge, as the improved deck will already have reached a maximum weight limit. - The job is fairly small (I think $1.3 million). ODOT anticipates putting a bid out by January 1, with work to be started in Spring 2007. This was likely the only public meeting on the project.
October 31, 200618 yr Such wonderful advanced notice.... ___________________ October 31, 2006 City of Cleveland – Office of the Council 601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 216 Cleveland, Ohio 44114 For more information contact: Cleveland City Council Katherine Bulava Samsa, Media and Public Relations 216-857-7362 NEWS ADVISORY: WHO: Cleveland City Council’s City Planning Committee, Public Service Committee and Aviation and Transportation Committee WHAT: A joint committee hearing to discuss ODOT’s Innerbelt project proposal. Concerns relating to this project and alternative options will also be discussed. Representatives from the Cleveland Indians, Applied Technology, and the Cleveland Clinic as well as representatives of local businesses and the commercial, industrial and residential districts impacted by the proposal will address the joint committee. WHEN: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 at 10:00 am WHERE: Cleveland City Council’s Committee Room WHY: “At this joint committee hearing, we are taking the time to examine the ODOT plan and other alternatives and we are listening to the voice of the community,” said Councilman Joe Cimperman, Ward 13. “City Council believes that this hearing is an opportunity to continue a review process that can yield consensus and positive results.” ### "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 1, 200618 yr It seems that anti-ODOT sentiment is gaining momentum! :clap: Business leaders rebuke Innerbelt plan By JAY MILLER Crain's Cleveland 2:38 pm, November 1, 2006 Downtown civic and business leaders rebuked the Ohio Department of Transportation today before Cleveland City Council for an Innerbelt rebuilding program they say will clog city streets at rush hour and hurt businesses from Public Square to University Circle. The complaints stem from ODOTs plan to speed traffic and reduce accidents along the stretch from Lake Erie to the Interstate 90 bridge over the Cuyahoga River by closing several interchanges. Those changes, the businesspeople say, will hurt their businesses... Council also heard from civic activist Ed Hauser...
November 1, 200618 yr What kind of public official doesn't date his correspondence??? Then ODOT has the audacity to blame Burgess and Niple? Isn't ODOT supposed to accept responsibility for their project? Just bulldoze the damn Innerbelt already and be done with it.
November 1, 200618 yr Just bulldoze the damn Innerbelt already and be done with it. One of the very few times I agree with you!
November 2, 200618 yr We probably agree on a lot more than you think. True I just never gave up hope that those two would work things out :)
November 2, 200618 yr 40-mph limit on Inner Belt? Businesses propose reduction in speed Thursday, November 02, 2006 Susan Vinella Plain Dealer Reporter Lowering the speed limit on the downtown Inner Belt to 40 mph and using traffic signals on entrance ramps to stagger traffic could keep the highway safe and local businesses happy, community leaders say. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-5010
November 2, 200618 yr Gee, lowering the speed limit to 40 mph instead of spending $800 gazillion to rebuild the highway? I wonder which makes more sense...
November 2, 200618 yr I am not too sure about the central boulevard idea. Would that be inside the trench?
November 2, 200618 yr I think lowering the speed limit to 40 mph would make FHWA a tad unhappy. Lowering the speed limit on a state route, like SR2/Shoreway, to create an urban boulevard makes sense. But not in an intermediate segment of a cross-country interstate. P.S., I updated my Inner Belt graphic, seen above or by clicking this link: http://members.cox.net/neotrans2/innerbeltremovals.jpg A larger version (1.73 mb) is available at: http://members.cox.net/neotrans2/innerbeltremoval.jpg And, this new concept would no longer require the demolition of Central Cadillac, the Jane Addams facility or the Cedar Estates high rise. The recreation center and some of the 60-year-old public housing structures, many of them vacant, would still have to be razed and relocated with newer structures, likely on land opened up by the removal of the Central Interchange. So few takings are required for this new concept because of the location of the new Inner Belt alignment, a slight curve built into it, and because of the limited about of privately owned land where the alignment would be put. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 200618 yr I think simply lowering the speed limit to 40 mph is dead on arrival. Drivers don't necessarily drive based on the speed limit, but according to the geometry of the roadway and their own comfort level. People are still going to drive at the same speeds unless 1) cops are running radar out the wazoo or 2) altering the roadway geometry. Or you could go with my plan, scrap the Innerbelt altogether, and everyone wins.
November 2, 200618 yr ^^ They could use those red-light cameras. That's what I'm always freaked about. I think there is one on 71 near Columbus cuz it flashes when you drive by.
November 2, 200618 yr yea those speed cameras would work in that case... even tho im not too wild about them heh
November 2, 200618 yr KJP -- have you presented your proposal to the downtown business group? If we could get them on board we might have a chance.
November 3, 200618 yr Just glancing at the map, I think the proposal would be met with some resitance from other areas downtown, where access is moved a bit farther out. Without really knowing traffic patters my guess is you'd have a rush hour mess either on the new Boulevard since Ontario and E.9th strike me as the most important exist in that area for the CBD for those coming from the south and west. Not that I don't love the idea in theory, but change always ruffles feathers. But something has to be done so hopefully this kind of creative vision will get some legs.
November 3, 200618 yr KJP -- have you presented your proposal to the downtown business group? If we could get them on board we might have a chance. No. I haven't pushed this idea much as most of my time has been invested in the Cleveland - Lorain commuter rail project. I'd like to push both (and more projects), but there's only one of me. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 3, 200618 yr No. I haven't pushed this idea much as most of my time has been invested in the Cleveland - Lorain commuter rail project. I'd like to push both (and more projects), but there's only one of me. Hmm. If there's only one of you, we need to convince someone else with enough credibility to be listened to push it for you. I don't qualify. What about Ed Hauser or a professor at CSU's Urban Planning college?
November 3, 200618 yr Ed Hauser, although thorough, has a stigma about him when he shows up at meetings with his video camera. Plus, he comes off as if ODOT (City of Cleveland, County - whoever is in charge of whatever subject he is addressing) is doing everything they can to piss him off and make only his life miserable. I cannot think of a professor at the Urban College who would passionate enough, or charismatic enough to pull it off (can't speak for the rest of the university) Tom Bier has made some god observations, but I do not think freeways are his forte, he's more of a housing guy. KJP would need somebody like Mike White (not Mike White, just somebody like him) to pull it off. I've heard Guv speak in public before, he's pretty charismatic. And of course, there is always Cimperman. :|
November 4, 200618 yr Here's a mix of aerial and street-level views of the area through which my concept of a new Inner Belt would be routed. We'll follow this from north to south. See my overview map from earlier in this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2438.msg133212#msg133212 This is at the north end of the new alignment. Carnegie is along the top of the image, and Cedar to the bottom (south). The new alignment will go through the center of the image, from top to bottom. The view below is looking west on Carnegie. The buildings on the left (south side) would be demolished. Cedar is along the top (north) of this image. At minimum, the public housing in the center of this image would be demolished. But I'd rather see all of this crap (aka: people warehouses) cast into the dustbin of history... Below is a street-level view of the public housing units from the above image. These units are perhaps 60 years old.... These are on the north side of Central (the street along the bottom of the image). The Inner Belt alignment would go through the center of this image, from top to bottom... Northwest of the intersection of Community College Avenue (along the bottom of image) and East 30th Street (along the right). Just about everything would be demolished here, except for CMHA's Cedar Extension High Rise at the upper right... Here's a street-level image, from Community College Avenue, of those U-store-it facilities for people.... The center of the intersection of East 30th and Community College Avenue. The public housing at upper left and the recreation center at lower right would be demolished. Between the intersection and the Tri-C Campus building to the lower left, the land would be excavated for the Inner Belt with a retaining wall and then capped... Here is a street-level view of that intersection, looking to the northwest where the highway would go (below street level). The Cedar Extension High Rise is at right, but wouldn't be demolished. The low-level public housing would be razed, however... This view differs from the other aerials. North is to the right. At the center is a recreation center that would be replaced with a newer one close by and then this structure would be demolished with a park built on a cap over the highway.... Here's a street-level view of the recreation center, looking north on East 30th. The Cedar Extension High Rise can be seen at left in the distance.... This is the last image. I'm pretty sure that just about all the stuctures in this aerial view would have to be demolished. I count seven structures, but they are in two distinct groupings so that, from the ground, it seems like only two buildings would get demolished. Arbor Park was under construction at the upper right when this image was captured. No Arbor Park structures are threatened by this concept. Woodland Avenue is along the top (north) of this image and I-77 is along the bottom... That's all folks! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200618 yr Oh, and by the way, there's a lot of fill dirt that would be created from this concept. Some would come from digging the new alignment. Some would come from the elevated portions of the abandoned Central Interchange. Some would come from the elevated highway segments in Tremont or along Orange Avenue. What do with it? ODOT could sell it -- to developers who might also wish to acquire the land on which the fill dirt sits (they could re-use it elsewhere, such as for the northern part of the Pesht project to gradually bring the street grid down to the lakefront); to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority for the port island; or for any number of other construction, remediation or hill-stabilization efforts. A 1,001 uses! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 11, 200618 yr Thanks for posting that KJP. I also spoke with the District 12 Public Information Officer, Laura Hummer last week on an unrelated topic, but we briefly discussed the misinterpretation of the earlier report regarding the 2 year delay. She basically told me something to the effect of "Everything is moving forward as it was before."
November 27, 200618 yr Go slowly 6:00 am, November 27, 2006 Tight finances are providing an opportunity for the Ohio Department of Transportation to give another look to its plans to reconstruct Clevelands Innerbelt freeway. We hope ODOT officials use this window of time to re-evaluate a redesign proposal that we believe would do serious economic harm to multiple neighborhoods in the city. Employers in the Midtown, St. Clair-Superior and Tremont neighborhoods repeatedly have voiced their concerns with ODOTs plan to reduce the number of on-off ramps in its redesign of the Innerbelt. They fear the changes greatly would diminish ease of access to their places of business and would give companies a reason to leave or not expand in Cleveland...
November 27, 200618 yr Thanks for posting, Wim. Maybe if ODOT (and new state leadership) takes a few steps backwards, they'll come to realize that over-investing in freeways and other auto-centric modes of transportation just isn't sustainable (financially or otherwise).
January 2, 200718 yr Well, it looks like construction on the Innerbelt Bridge is going to start in 2010. ODOT sent a press release this morning stating such. They are going with the single tower look. Read my blog here: http://clevelandplanner.blogspot.com/2007/01/cleveland-innerbelt-update-construction.html
January 3, 200718 yr ^definitely more modern looking than anything Cleveland has now. I’m not sure if I like it or not.
January 3, 200718 yr ODOT has also released an updated Project Development Schedule - Note the public meeting in February Cleveland Innerbelt Project Development Schedule: Public Comment on the Conceptual Alternatives Study (CAS) – December 31, 2006 Joint City Council Committee Hearing – January 10, 2007 City Planning Commission Meeting – January 19, 2007 Urban Core Committee Meeting – February 1, 2007 Public Meeting – February 1, 2007 ODOT to Submit Access Modification Study (AMS) to FHWA – Spring 2007 FHWA Approval of the AMS – Spring 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) to be made available – Spring/Summer 2007 Public Hearing on DEIS – Spring/Summer 2007 Public Comment Period on DEIS – Summer 2007 Submit Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) to FHWA – Fall 2007 FHWA Record of Decision (ROD) – Anticipated Winter 2008 ODOT will continue to consider Public Comments through the close of the public comment period for the FEIS near the end of 2007. DRAFT: December 2006* *Please note this schedule is subject to change
January 7, 200718 yr ODOT plan leads to 'trench' warfare MidTown fights Inner Belt project Sunday, January 07, 2007 James Ewinger and Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporters Link to graphic: http://www.cleveland.com/news/wide/index.ssf?/news/wide/innerbelt0107.html Bone-crunching crashes give Clevelands Inner Belt its reputation and nickname, Dead Mans Curve, but the latest collision on the highway is between the engineers who want to rebuild it for safety and the business owners who fear shutting access ramps will shut them down. At issue is the trench the main artery for the network of expressways that pulse through the citys core and join it to the region... © 2007 The Plain Dealer http://www.cleveland.com/innerbelt/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/116807603134530.xml&coll=2 Inner Belt bridge hit with delay, higher cost Sunday, January 07, 2007 Sarah Hollander Plain Dealer Reporter A nearly $400 million bridge supported by a single tower with radiating cables will carry the westbound Inner Belt between downtown and Tremont. The Ohio Department of Transportation decided the general design last week and plans to discuss the exact geometry of the tower, materials, colors and other specifics next year... [email protected], 216-999-4816 http://www.cleveland.com/innerbelt/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1168162839299160.xml&coll=2
January 9, 200718 yr NEWS ADVISORY: WHO: Cleveland City Council’s City Planning Committee, Public Service Committee and Aviation and Transportation Committee WHAT: This is the second joint committee hearing held on the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Innerbelt project. This hearing will allow ODOT to respond to concerns raised by business and community leaders and residents pertaining to ODOT’s Innerbelt project proposal and to answer questions Cleveland City Council has regarding alternatives to the proposed plan. WHEN: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 10:00 am WHERE: Cleveland City Council’s Committee Room WHY: “Council had the opportunity to hear the community’s concerns relating to the Innerbelt project in November. Additionally, Council has its own concerns, particularly when it comes to ODOT’s failure to address economic development issues in the materials supplied to Council in preparation for this meeting,” said Councilman Joe Cimperman, Ward 13. “In holding this hearing, Council is working to keep ODOT accountable to the taxpayers. We hope that this will be an opportunity to find consensus that will yield positive results.” ### "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 10, 200718 yr Damn! I missed it! Didn't even notice until you posted that.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 11, 200718 yr From Crain's today: Inner Belt plan is being re-evaluated By JAY MILLER 3:06 pm, January 10, 2007 The Ohio Department of Transportation continues to backpedal on its plans for rebuilding and reconfiguring the Innerbelt Freeway that serves downtown Cleveland. An ODOT official told Cleveland City Council today that the state agency is re-evaluating the impact of the project on city streets and is planning to replace the existing bridge across the Flats with two new bridges. ODOT is responding to complaints from local community groups and businesspeople worried about the impact of the changes on their neighborhoods and businesses. More at: http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/FREE/70110013/1008&Profile=1008
January 11, 200718 yr Cough...cough..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 11, 200718 yr Dosen't sound like anybody in cleveland likes odot. Nope, NOBODY in Cleveland likes ODOT... METRO: Trench plan sparks fight By Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter Cleveland City Council members unhappy with plans for a stretch of the rebuilt Inner Belt say they�ll play political hardball to get what they want. Council members sparred for two hours Wednesday with a top ODOT planner about �the trench,� the stretch of Interstate 90 that feeds Midtown and other neighborhoods east of downtown. ODOT�s $1.5 billion plan to fix the Inner Belt calls for closing multiple ramps in the trench. It would heighten safety on the Inner Belt, where two accidents a day make it one of the riskiest stretches of road in Ohio, ODOT planner Craig Hebebrand said during the council hearing Wednesday... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-4695
January 11, 200718 yr Motorists could drive north in the downtown-to-Cleveland State neighborhoods and get on the boulevard that would nicely feed them onto "the trench" of the Innerbelt going south. This would still leave the midtown businesses without access, though.
January 11, 200718 yr I support blowing up the current bridge. a) creating better rail options from downtown to the zoo and from w 25 using carneige. b) using 490 as described by the fabulous KJP
January 12, 200718 yr Why do most people on here seem so damn smart to me, and most people at ODOT/RTA seem so clueless as to the needs of transportation/urban design/and TOD to a city? I hope these nonproggressive people read these posts!!!!
January 12, 200718 yr I was thinking (uh,oh), and this is not completely fleshed out, but I bet there would be significantly less complaints from people if there were a commitment from ODOT to go forward with Opportunity Corridor. This still might not be what folks like the Cleveland Clinic, Central Caddy, Premier, etc want, but it might help out with any possible traffic congestion issues that have already been identified.
January 12, 200718 yr that central cooridor is a joke! I know some people are for it, but instead of building another ROAD, use that money to bolster & create rail OPPORTUNITIES from downtown east.
January 12, 200718 yr Why do most people on here seem so damn smart to me, and most people at ODOT/RTA seem so clueless as to the needs of transportation/urban design/and TOD to a city? I hope these nonproggressive people read these posts!!!! Because we deal in concepts and they deal in details. And where does the devil lie?? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 15, 200718 yr Does this strike anyone else as more-than-odd??? Cimperman noted that Ohio already has a federal exemption allowing a 50 mph speed limit on the Inner Belt. He suggested lowering it to 45 mph, and keeping the ramps intact. ODOT�s Hebebrand said it would not be easy to gain an exemption, especially on the accident-prone Inner Belt. So, the best way to reduce accidents is to move as many cars as possible at a million miles an hour through downtown? Damn traffic engineers give the rest of us engineers a black eye.
January 15, 200718 yr These guys have a one track mind on how to solve any and all problems. If you told one of them that his wife was leaving him, he'd think about it for a minute and tell you that the solution to the problem was to add a lane of capacity and smooth the geometry according to NHTSA standards.
January 15, 200718 yr That's a candidate for "best quotes on UrbanOhio!" "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
Create an account or sign in to comment