Twin Cities bridge debuts 30-foot tall pollution-sucking sculptures

 

Posted Oct 7th 2008 7:55PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/07/twin-cities-bridge-debuts-30-foot-tall-pollution-sucking-sculptu/

 

Two statues have debuted on Minnesota's new Interstate 35W Bridge that are shaped to look like the international cartographic symbol for water. Why? Besides mimicking the look of the Mississippi River as it passes through Minneapolis, the new sculptures are made from a type of concrete that is photocatalytic, meaning they will be able to convert gases like carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxide to higher oxidized states, making them less damaging to the environment. Another benefit of the new concrete mixture is that it never looks old as it maintains a white oxidized color on its outer skin.

 

The opening of the new I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge also has a deeper meaning, since it replaces the one that tragically collapsed about a year ago from a structural failure. The new one was erected so fast because the original was used by over 140,000 cars per day. Despite how quickly it was built, the new bridge has a 100-year life span, supports ten lanes of traffic thanks to an extra 76 feet of width, and has shoulders on both sides where the old one didn't – not to mention it cleans the air with art.

Most Excellent

I've heard about this photocatalytic technology a while ago and wondered why we haven't heard more projects using it. Is it cost prohibitive, I wonder? It doesn't sound like it destabilizes the structure in any way if the life of the bridge is projected to be about 100 years.

 

Kudos to Minneapolis for doing this, though. I think it's an example of really smart design that I hope will set a kind of benchmark for other projects in the future

^^Interesting, I would much rather see something like this incorporated into a new bridge than a towering structure thats suppose to be "signature".  And while it's not the most awe inspirering art piece I have ever seen, it has a very cool purpose.

Some of the comments on that article make cleveland.com comments sound like fucking astrophysicists.

Thus, I am torn as to whether those kinds of responses are merely the result of being able post messages anonymously, or if the End Time is at hand.  :evil:

So, it's great that they clean the air, but don't they seem a little small to really make any sort of difference?

cleveland.com:

 

ODOT to present plan for Inner Belt Bridge next week after reviewing test results

 

ODOT to review tests, decide span's fate

 

Saturday, October 11, 2008 Karen Farkas Plain Dealer Reporter The Ohio Department of Transportation expects to decide next week what it plans to do with the aging Inner Belt Bridge after new tests were run on the span.

 

 

Stress and strain measurements were recorded Friday by 75 sensors on two steel beams on the bridge's south side. The tests were performed after a recent inspection showed the two beams cannot support a fully loaded bridge...

From www.NewsNet5.com

 

Innerbelt Bridge Test Shows Steel Connectors Deteriorated

 

CLEVELAND -- The Ohio Department of Transportation said no major decisions were made concerning the Innerbelt Bridge.

 

...

 

The two outer lanes will remain closed in each direction until further notice.

 

I'm just curious, but if the tragedy in Minneapolis hadn't brought attention to this issue, are there routine maintenance checks on these bridges that would have told us about the level of deterioration?  Could Clevelanders conceivably been still driving on the Innerbelt today unaware of the impending danger?

^Oh pshaw! I'm sure the illustrious folks at ODOT have EVERYthing under control!! :lol:

I'm just curious, but if the tragedy in Minneapolis hadn't brought attention to this issue, are there routine maintenance checks on these bridges that would have told us about the level of deterioration? Could Clevelanders conceivably been still driving on the Innerbelt today unaware of the impending danger?

Don't ask me where I read about this, but essentially ODOT was inspecting bridges like this every two years. (now every year) However without Minneapolis, the inspections probably weren't as indepth as they are now, and their results weren't taken as seriously. After all the Minneapolis bridge had been inspected within a couple years before it collapsed.

Tests conducted last week showed that two of the steel connectors have deteriorated to the point that they cannot support a fully loaded span.

 

The state needs to make a decision to either repair it, or replace.

 

The two outer lanes will remain closed in each direction until further notice.

 

 

Um, that's beyond huge. WOW!

 

ODOT doesn't have the money to replace the bridge. Not yet anyway. I wonder if the bridge can be repaired. If it can't, all I can say is........    :-D

 

^ WAs JUST thinking about that plan earlier this morning again KJP, damnit git r done!

My travels downtown in the mornings are via the Shoreway which has been backed up from downtown to the west end of the Shoreway at Clifton/Lake. I've lived at the east end of Lakewood for 12 years and I've NEVER seen it like this before.

My travels downtown in the mornings are via the Shoreway which has been backed up from downtown to the west end of the Shoreway at Clifton/Lake. I've lived at the east end of Lakewood for 12 years and I've NEVER seen it like this before.

 

1)  I'm having to take an earlier bus now.  :shoot:

 

2)  This doesn't bode well for the west shoreway boulevard.

 

3)  That unmarked cop car at 32nd & Detroit is gonna be raking in cash with his radar gun.

ODOT doesn't have the money to replace the bridge. Not yet anyway. I wonder if the bridge can be repaired. If it can't, all I can say is........ :-D

 

 

I've been telling everyone I know about this plan.  I love it.  It makes so much sense that I think ODOT will resist it with all their might, but they would be incredibly stupid not to end up following through with something like this.  By the way, this almost reminds me exactly of the part in the book Suburban Nation where they talk about the "Highwayless Town" and the "Townless Highway".  Freeways much better serve cities when the through routes do not cut through the heart of the city, but instead provide an access road terminating in the heart of the city.

 

As an added bonus we would get from KJP's plan, people could talk about how cool it is to live inside the "Loop". :)

Thanks! Keep spreading the word. ODOT has already implemented some aspects of this plan by directing overflow traffic via I-490/I-77. And it has closed down the I-77 entrance ramp from Ontario, directing traffic down Orange Avenue to get on I-77 at East 30th. Those components are almost exactly what I've proposed in the above map.

 

ODOT doesn't have the money to replace the bridge. Not yet anyway. I wonder if the bridge can be repaired. If it can't, all I can say is........ :-D

 

 

I thought Joe C. killed the Waterfront Line extension?  Too bad.  That line needs to go somewhere besides an isolated parking lot.  It's no wonder the ridership is so low. 

Per KJP's "Reclaiming Downtown":

 

1. The I-490 bridge is four lanes and the Innerbelt Bridge is was four lanes.  Can the I-490 bridge handle the added traffic?  Considering that Cleveland got by without that bridge until a decade ago, the answer is probably yes.

 

2. I envisiage building double or triple lanes to move traffic from the Innerbelt to I-77 south.  Then the government could demolish the Innerbelt Bridge and build a new span ASAP.  In time, the vacating of the new alignment and construction of the cutoff could occur.

Per KJP's "Reclaiming Downtown":

 

1. The I-490 bridge is four lanes and the Innerbelt Bridge is was four lanes. Can the I-490 bridge handle the added traffic? Considering that Cleveland got by without that bridge until a decade ago, the answer is probably yes.

 

And the reason why the answer is yes is because my plan keeps a downtown access boulevard roughly where the existing Inner Belt bridge is today (though combined with a Norfolk Southern bridge).

 

2. I envisiage building double or triple lanes to move traffic from the Innerbelt to I-77 south. Then the government could demolish the Innerbelt Bridge and build a new span ASAP. In time, the vacating of the new alignment and construction of the cutoff could occur.

 

There would also have to be a lane or two added to the ramps linking I-490 and I-77. My plan incorporates that to remove a bottleneck.

^ODOT and consultants are currently working to widen the ramps for 490E to 77N and 77S to 490W.  I would assume it's so they can divert traffic during the rehab.

They must have just started. They weren't there when I drove through that interchange at 9:30 a.m. today.

^My apologizes, I should have specified it is in the survey and design stages and fast tracked to be constructed by next year.  That's about all I know though.

Trucks banned from Inner Belt Bridge starting Nov. 19

Posted by pzicari November 12, 2008 10:30AM

 

Chris Stephens/Plain Dealer file

 

Trucks like the one above will be banned from the Inner Belt Bridge starting Nov. 19. ODOT posted a notice at bridge entrances today.

 

Heavy trucks and buses will be banned from the Inner Belt Bridge as of Nov. 19...

Just close it!  Sheesh.

<a href="http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/replacing_inner_belt_bridge_wo.html">Replacing Inner Belt Bridge would detour traffic up to two years</a>

 

Posted by Steven Litt/Plain Dealer Architecture Critic November 12, 2008 23:55PM

Categories: News Impact, Real Time News, Traffic

 

 

John Kuntz/The Plain DealerThe rusting underbelly of the Inner Belt Bridge could be replaced with a new steel girder structure -- but only if the Ohio Department of Transportation shuts down the bridge entirely for up to two years. ODOT floated that idea publicly for the first time Wednesday.

 

The Ohio Department of Transportation said Wednesday it is considering a total shutdown of the rapidly rusting Inner Belt Bridge so a new one could be built in its place...

 

<a href="http://blog.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/2008/11/13CGBRIDGE.pdf">Click here to download printable PDF.</a>

 

 

So ODOT was out in full force this morning (2:50 AM, at least 12 trucks and 3-5 CPD cruisers) installing the "No Trucks" signage on I-90 east. Why not just finish the task and submit the required paperwork to the FHA to designate the I-490/77 route as I-90. Then, to put a bow on the whole debacle, the City of Cleveland could rename the existing inter belt span "Third World Infrastructure Memorial Bridge".  :roll:

so, they are essentially thinking, let's replace this big ugly bridge with a big ugly bridge.  gee thanks odot, you're the best.

"But she and Hebebrand said they're feeling pressure to make a decision quickly."

 

I can't possibly fathom WHY?!? :roll:

Kevin Kelley, chairman of Cleveland City Council's Aviation and Transportation Committee, said that "the city cannot go two years without that access to downtown."

 

So I-77 no longer serves downtown in this plan?  Just bite the bullet and do it already.

 

Just expand existing 71 to 490 ramps, 490 to 77 (could be a challenge), and 77 to 90 (another challenge), tear the bridge down and build a new one.  Or, better yet, realize that the expanded 71-490-77 route is working and make the expansion permanent and don't build another ten lanes of highway bridge!  Then they could clean up that mess of an interchange by Jaco... Progressive Field.  Use the money saved to turn the shoreway into a boulevard with a light rail line down the middle to serve the newly disadvantaged West side (see KJP).  Or cap the innerbelt near CSU for a park and/or future expansion.

I do think a cable stay bridge would look awesome there........ Now whether it's I-90 or a linking road is another story :-D

Tear it down already. 

 

_{Where are my matches?}

There's a protest going on right now at the West 14th Street ramp.

 

Here are a couple of shots from someone else - not sure if they will work though

 

 

 

 

Tremont needs more bridges period.  It needs a pedestrian link to downtown more than it needs a freeway ramp. 

I agree, and while I wish more people would utilize the transit options available, the reality is that a lot of the businesses in Tremont (restaurants, bars, galleries, etc.) rely on a lot of non-local support who usually drive in and out.

 

With the Abbey Avenue bridge cut off at Gehring, the West 14th onramp to I-90 closed, the Columbus Road bridge closed sporadically, and the horrible condition of the connecting surface streets (West 20th and Scranton especially), it makes getting to and from Tremont really difficult.

I agree, and while I wish more people would utilize the transit options available, the reality is that a lot of the businesses in Tremont (restaurants, bars, galleries, etc.) rely on a lot of non-local support who usually drive in and out.

 

With the Abbey Avenue bridge cut off at Gehring, the West 14th onramp to I-90 closed, the Columbus Road bridge closed sporadically, and the horrible condition of the connecting surface streets (West 20th and Scranton especially), it makes getting to and from Tremont really difficult.

 

Coming from either the eastside or downtown isn't that bad.  I take Carnegie to Commercial/Canal, cross the W. 3rd St. bridge (although it sucks when you have to wait for it to lower back down), and head up Literary.

I agree, and while I wish more people would utilize the transit options available, the reality is that a lot of the businesses in Tremont (restaurants, bars, galleries, etc.) rely on a lot of non-local support who usually drive in and out.

 

With the Abbey Avenue bridge cut off at Gehring, the West 14th onramp to I-90 closed, the Columbus Road bridge closed sporadically, and the horrible condition of the connecting surface streets (West 20th and Scranton especially), it makes getting to and from Tremont really difficult.

 

Coming from either the eastside or downtown isn't that bad.  I take Carnegie to Commercial/Canal, cross the W. 3rd St. bridge (although it sucks when you have to wait for it to lower back down), and head up Literary.

 

You are most intrepid.  I have a hard time remembering which lift bridges are operational.  Didn't realize Columbus Rd was open at all, and I'm glad to hear W 3rd is back in action.

I take the Red Line and then get lost!  LOL  Everytime!  Every stinkin time!

I take the Red Line and then get lost! LOL Everytime! Every stinkin time!

 

Yeah, the first time I was ever gonna head over to Tremont, I tried first to plan an RTA route.  Then I just decided driving would be easier.....

Red Line to West 25th station - #81 or 807 circulator after that.

Red Line to West 25th station - #81 or 807 circulator after that.

 

Yeah, I did look at that.  I could probably manage now that I have been to Tremont.  But looking at RTA bus maps of that area was like a foreign country to me at the time....  and we had a dinner reservation, and I didn't want to be late.  So I gave up, lol.  Call me lazy, though, I don't like having to deal with transfers.  It takes me 10 minutes to walk to Tower City from my house, then X number of minutes to catch a train and ride to W. 25th, and another X number of minutes to wait for the bus and ride to Tremont....  Meanwhile, I can just drive there in 10 minutes total.  Now, if they made you pay for parking in Tremont, I might reconsider, just like I ALWAYS took RTA to downtown events before moving there.  But since I can park on the street for free, then it's not very motivating. 

Red Line to West 25th station - #81 or 807 circulator after that.

 

Yeah, I did look at that.  I could probably manage now that I have been to Tremont.  But looking at RTA bus maps of that area was like a foreign country to me at the time....  and we had a dinner reservation, and I didn't want to be late.  So I gave up, lol.  Call me lazy, though, I don't like having to deal with transfers.  It takes me 10 minutes to walk to Tower City from my house, then X number of minutes to catch a train and ride to W. 25th, and another X number of minutes to wait for the bus and ride to Tremont....  Meanwhile, I can just drive there in 10 minutes total.  Now, if they made you pay for parking in Tremont, I might reconsider, just like I ALWAYS took RTA to downtown events before moving there.  But since I can park on the street for free, then it's not very motivating. 

 

I walked, but somehow ended up by the cemetery on Monroe  :wtf: . 

 

Now I just con one of my Westside cousins into meeting me at w 25 and driving us there

When I was in Cleveland this summer (well, the time I did that 6 part tour) I just walked to Tremont from the W. 25th St. Station. I didn't want to deal with waiting for the bus and then waiting for it to maneuver through the Abbey Rd. detour. It wasn't that bad of a walk and I didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time, so...

 

MTS - Wow

When I was in Cleveland this summer I just walked to Tremont from the W. 25th St. Station. I didn't want to deal with waiting for the bus and then waiting for it to maneuver through the Abbey Rd. detour. It wasn't that bad of a walk and I didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time, so...

 

MTS - Wow

 

Please I'm the King of "convincing" someone else to drive!  ;)  LOL  If I'm at my parents and don't want to take the train, I give my mom "the look" and she will make my dad take me home.  LOL  Or I purposely keep on of the kids with me, then ask my brother to drop me off on his way home.

 

Soon that will change.  Hopefully my nephew will pass his drivers test in 6 weeks and voila!  I'll have a chauffeur!  :wink2:

When I said wow, it had more to do with the fact that you got lost trying to walk to Tremont. :laugh: I commend you on your persuasive abilities.

 

 

When I said wow, it had more to do with the fact that you got lost trying to walk to Tremont. :laugh: I commend you on your persuasive abilities.

 

I'm the baby of the family.  I've learned how to "work" the system.

 

Walking is nothing.  I'd rather walk then spend 20 minutes trying to find parking.

I presume that removing and replacing the Innerbelt Bridge and Viaduct in its exact same location does not "create" any problems for the large scale Innerbelt project to "fix the trench" and to improve the entrance and exit ramps.  Am I correct?

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/tremont_residents_protest_east.html

 

Why even bring up the Minnesota bridge, two different bridges, lenghts, needs, etc.

 

As an outsider looking in.  If they community was really worried, they would pressure the state and ODOT to increase funding of PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION to the area.

 

A rail stub from W 25 Street to the park could do wonders.

 

MayDay, as a resident, has spoken.  How do others in the Tremont area feel about the closing?

The Minnesota bridge is of the same vintage and design.  Both are major arterial connections into the CBD of a major metro area.  The Minneapolis bridge collapsed, the Cleveland bridge is in the process of deteriorating faster than anyone could have imagined.  Is that enough connection?