^practice makes perfect.

This may be the result of the ADA audits that are ongoing as the project proceeds.  According to Mike Schipper at RTA, this is the only spot thus far that has needed a rebuild.  They missed compliance by like an inch or something.  And yes, it's important that they get it right!

 

We just had a meeting over here in University Circle about project updates and it appears that we're going to see construction from E. 107th to the bridge at E. 120th starting in February and finished by December 2007. 

Behold, the bus of the future

Sep 21st 2006

From The Economist print edition

 

 

Transport: Maglev trains are expensive; buses are cheap. The Superbus, a high-tech road vehicle, is a compromise between the two

 

IT LOOKS rather like a futuristic stretch limousine, but its actual function is rather more populist: the Superbus is a novel public-transport system being developed in the Netherlands by the Delft University of Technology. It is an electric bus designed to be able to switch seamlessly between ordinary roads and dedicated “supertracks”, on which it can reach speeds of 250kph (155mph). It could thus present an alternative to much more expensive magnetic-levitation trains. The Superbus would be driven in the usual way on roads and an autopilot would be engaged when it reached a supertrack.

 

.........

 

 

http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=7904103

I don't think this has been posted here yet.  It's an aerial rendering from the University Circle area.  The buses aren't going to be so patriotic, but everything else is pretty accurate!

 

I thought they were building elevated bus station "islands" in the median for walk-on access, and these stations don't appear to be elevated or in the median.  But going back through the earlier renderings, the stations look like they're about as elevated as a sidewalk.  And although some stations were in the median, I see some in the early renderings that aren't. 

 

This continues to be a fascinating project to watch in that we still don't know exactly what the plans call for all along the line.

 

The "stations" are in the median from Public Square to E105 (or it might be E107). After that, the silverline switches to the curbside lanes.

Correct!

I didn't know they would be switching from the median to the curb. Can anyone explain why they decided to build it like that?

From downtown to E105, the bus will travel in a bus-only lane. In UC, there will not be any bus-only lanes. I believe that its due to the increased amount of traffic on Euclid in UC proper.

Correct again!  It's the result of Euclid being THE thoroughfare through Univ. Circle, whereas west of E. 105th, you have parallel avenues like Chester, Cedar, Superior, Hough, St. Clair, and so on...

You're probably correct.  A lot of other cities still have streetcar tracks buried under the asphalt as well.  It was a lot cheaper to cover the tracks than to completely remove them. 

 

You are correct.

They have been ripping them up all sunmmer.

 

 

In Dallas, they started a streetcar line on McKinney Avenue not by laying new tracks, but by ripping up the pavement. It revealed brick streets and the old streetcar tracks below, both still in good condition. While some improvements were made, they were relatively modest compared to the all-new construction some cities are having to make.

 

To read more about this gem, check out the following....

 

http://www.mata.org/

http://www.heritagetrolley.org/TNERJDallas.htm

http://www.dart.org/mline.asp

Does St Clair Avenue have streetcar rails under the pavement? Since there are no near term plans for rail I personally would like to see streetcars in that section of the city.

let me go find my jackhammer and after a trip to mexico city I'll get back to you.

almost all of the street do still have the rail.  in what condition, who knows.  the rails coming out of euclid were in very tough shape.

 

you can also see one rail coming out of E9 and Euclid in front of star bank (near the concrete patch) and there were some rails visable on w6 street this year while they were doing water main repairs. 

 

it would have been kind of cool of they would have kept a section of the rails visable along the corridor as sort of a public art/history lesson, with a sign explaining the signifance or something.

they're visible on Chester around CSU as well

I've seen them on North Moreland and Larchmere, Kinsman, Broadway, Cedar or Central, and Kinsman.

This article ties in with the current tangential discussion (to the ECTP) of the Clinic's campus.

 

From the OCT/NOV 2006 issue of New Urban News:

 

Remaking Americas medical districts: a challenge for NU

 

Philip Langdon

 

.......

ECTP Construction Update (E. 81st - E. 86th Street)

 

The interesections of East 82nd, East 84th and East 85th Streets, north of Euclid Avenue, will be closed for pavement removal, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 24.

 

Please follow all posted detour traffic signs.

 

All eastbound and westbound pedestrian traffic will be detoured at East 81st and East 86th Streets. 

 

RTA bus routes will not be impacted. 

 

For more information, please contact the Project Office at 216-771-4144.

They haven't done much in the way of issuing positive updates or progress reports on this very visible (and expensive!) project, but here's some flowery, "feel good" verbiage from www.GCRTA.org that I missed last month.

 

News & Updates: Newsroom

 

RTA News

 

Oct. 17, 2006

 

Complete Euclid Avenue project will be validated

 

Joseph A. Marinucci & Joseph A. Calabrese

 

Originally published in Crain's Cleveland Business, 10/16/06

 

...........

^lots of warm fuzzies!

not to sound like a pundit, how does the Euclid Corridor equal the first of its kind in the US?

Apparently, RTA didn't get the "undersell, overdeliver" memo saying. Overselling this really worthwhile project will only lead people to unrealistic expectations (or, in some of our cases, overt cynicism).

 

Also, it would have been nice for them to mention the Design District or the massive investments taking place in University Circle.

One of the workers told me today that they are under the gun to finish the 17th Street extension and Public Square work currently underway by Thanksgiving.  He said that they worked this past Sunday and would be working at every opportunity going forward to get those things done on time.

Also, it would have been nice for them to mention the Design District or the massive investments taking place in University Circle.

 

Not sure that they knew about the DD a month ago.  I really wish that the VA build anew on Euclid Avenue somewhere in the 60s to take advantage of the SilverLine.  Traffic on MLK is going to be a nightmare (at least some people are already looking into ways to alleviate the effects).  If the VA were removed from UC (never gonna happen), it would open up a lot of space for some nice new housing opportunities.

One of the workers told me today that they are under the gun to finish the 17th Street extension and Public Square work currently underway by Thanksgiving.  He said that they worked this past Sunday and would be working at every opportunity going forward to get those things done on time.

 

I think that they were supposed to have it done by late September (but that's before they used the wrong cement).  A lot of progress is being made between the inner belt and E.55. I don't know why they didn't do the downtown portion first.

Also, it would have been nice for them to mention the Design District or the massive investments taking place in University Circle.

Not sure that they knew about the DD a month ago.  I really wish that the VA build anew on Euclid Avenue somewhere in the 60s to take advantage of the SilverLine.  Traffic on MLK is going to be a nightmare (at least some people are already looking into ways to alleviate the effects).  If the VA were removed from UC (never gonna happen), it would open up a lot of space for some nice new housing opportunities.

 

That's what I'm talking about!  Time to farm out some of the less than thrilling, but still super-valuable employers from UC into mid-town.

a memo received from my property manager says public square will be open by November 13th...

 

In the spirit of the Arizona Cardinal's slogan, "we'll see"

those bastards were right. Although Limited.

 

While it was fun to have a pedestrian playground/construction site for lower euclid, its nice to have some more activity back.

Not sure if my reaction to this is more upset that the business feels it's being squeezed out or upset that they're crying foul as a political statement. I got the feeling this place was on the way out, with or without the ECTP, but I honestly don't know much about their business. I would think that the influx of construction workers would offset some of the decrease in normal lunchtime traffic, but again, what do I know? Well, I know that I've never been inside because the place kinda scared me!

 

Road work spells closing for Euclid Avenue eatery

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Leila Atassi

Plain Dealer Columnist

 

........

^Typical gloom and doom from the Plain Dealer. Do you think a new business opening on Euclid will get  front page treatment?

 

I'm sorry for the owner to go out of business but at the same time, the place didn't exactly have an inviting appearance and it's not like gyros are hard to come by. My question is this - knowing that ECTP was coming, what (if anything) did they do ahead of time? If they kept going business as usual without trying to promote their business a little extra, is it any wonder they closed?

Well, that's another question...what solid business doesn't have a contingency plan for something like this?  If he'd planned well over the years, cut staff in the short-term and waited it out, he could've probably expected a nice windfall when the thing was all through.  Again, I state that I know nothing about this guy's business, but it does seem to me that he's just looking for a scapegoat...

 

There's also the possibility that he's being pushed out by the property owner more than by the ECTP.  I'm sure they're raising rents and they have bigger plans for that block, so I'd assume the pressure was on...

Well, that's another question...what solid business doesn't have a contingency plan for something like this?  If he'd planned well over the years, cut staff in the short-term and waited it out, he could've probably expected a nice windfall when the thing was all through.  Again, I state that I know nothing about this guy's business, but it does seem to me that he's just looking for a scapegoat...

 

There's also the possibility that he's being pushed out by the property owner more than by the ECTP.  I'm sure they're raising rents and they have bigger plans for that block, so I'd assume the pressure was on...

 

MayDay, I 100% agree!  Again the PD with lopsided "journalism".  Another article that paints downtown as dead to the casual reader and those who are less educated about the economic development in the heart of the city!

 

MGD, you beat me to the puch, I was think the same thing. 

 

Although, I would think landlords would be giving business incentives to current tenants and offering new business sweetheart deals to move onto Euclid.

Well, I think you also have to look at this is an older gentleman who has busted his butt for 40 years in this business trying to stay competetive.  At this point, he probably figured to heck with fighting trying to stay in business and just hung his hat up.  Sounds like a good time to retire.  The metality that "I'm getting to old for this bs."  A young go getter probably would have implemented the stratagies above that were mentioned, and if it was still 1975, he probably would have. 

There's also the possibility that he's being pushed out by the property owner more than by the ECTP.  I'm sure they're raising rents and they have bigger plans for that block, so I'd assume the pressure was on...

 

Yeah, I think that's definitely a factor in this case.

 

Still, the irony is striking. For a project that's supposedly all about economic development, the ECP is sure having a negative short-term impact. With all the demolitions around 55th and the closings of at least a few businesses, we'll end up with less than we had to begin with. I hope this is just a case of things having to get worse before they can get better.

Just about every major constuction project for an existing commercial corridor has had its casualties. I wish major construction projects like this included some funding for businesses to seek to cover their losses. Something like low-or no-interest short-term "bridge" loans, or even grants for advertising, promotions or cosmetic improvements could be offered so that the whole corridor gets a fresh face -- not just the infrastructure.

I agree that the whole contention that the ECTP is causing this business to shut down is BS.

 

A few months back, there was a similar article that referenced the struggles being faced by a Chinese takeout place in the Halle Building because of ECTP. I decided to check it out for myself and see what the deal was. After finally finding the place (located in the basement, with NO roadfront signage indicating such), I ordered lunch, and discovered why their business truly was so poor -- it was some of the worst swill I had ever ingested!

 

Need I remind anyone of the oft-fallacious argument, "post hoc, ergo propter hoc"?

 

KJP, I do like your proposal of bridge financing/grants for collateral improvements -- maybe something to stress for future projects (TOD and otherwise), though I'm not sure if federal funding guidelines are "creative" enough at this time to allow for such innovation.

I was thinking about the location of this place, it could also be facing a push by CSU/RTA/Building owners to get out. I remember on some renderings awhile back (and maybe its still there), that there were plans to raze that building to put a pedestrian corridor through there to "link up" with the transit center next to the convocation center

In those days, if you worked hard, you could make it. Today, you work hard and you can't even pay your bills...

 

One of the saddest quotes I have ever seen.  I think that is problem that is not only facing Cleveland, but our coutry as a whole...

 

:|

^productivity is up, pay is down!

I was thinking about the location of this place, it could also be facing a push by CSU/RTA/Building owners to get out. I remember on some renderings awhile back (and maybe its still there), that there were plans to raze that building to put a pedestrian corridor through there to "link up" with the transit center next to the convocation center

 

At one point CSU was considering building a new bookstore there, but then the whole Student Center concept came up.

CSU is currently not looking into this space at all. Although they are still considering a pedestrian link of some sorts - possibly through the parking lot next to the Court Reporter School - but for now, it is just talk.

I'm actually surprised that there hasn't been more publicity about how slow progress has been along Euclid. Playhouse Square was supposed to be the first section finished and it's just creeping along. It's taken them over six months to do the sidewalks between 17th and 13th...and they're only about halfway there...on the north side of the street!

 

And what's up with the first quadrant of Public Square? Can anyone see where the improvements were made? I can't find 'em!

 

Euclid Corridor project becomes a route to lost business for many on the avenue

City announces loans to make up for shortfalls

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Susan Vinella and Tasha Flournoy

Plain Dealer Reporters

 

 

......

And what's up with the first quadrant of Public Square?  Can anyone see where the improvements were made?  I can't find 'em!

 

MGD, I'm not sure what you were expecting in the way of improvements, but there have been a few... the very fact the roadbed is now concrete rather than asphalt means that it will stand up to the heavy load presented by the 60' articulated BRT vehicles (take a look at the curbside southbound on Ontario, and you'll see what happens when a poor substrate asphalt road is subject to heavy compression, it's like toothpaste in a tube).

 

Also, much of the work that has been done involved utility relocation, vault fill-in, and other improvements that you might not  see, but definitely make a difference in the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure .

^also, they are not installing any of the fixtures until the entire stretch is nearing completion.

^Yes, I know that, but the construction elsewhere along the corridor involved a lot of sidewalk work (storefront to storefront) in preparation for the forthcoming infrastructure.  Maybe they're not doing any on Public Square, (I haven't been able to get the information out of the RTA) but if they are, that wasn't part of this phase of construction...

The new street lights are up, but not on, in front of the communication college at CSU. I took some pictures of them last week, but the disk in the camera (yes, i aid disk - it was a work camera) was bad and I could not retrieve any of the pictures.

 

The it got cold and snowed, so I gave up.

 

Anyway, they look Ok - not great, just Ok.

I was on Euclid today.  It seems to be progressing ok to me.  At the end of the summer, there wasn't much going on, now, at least one side of Euclid is done all the way out to E. 55th.  I can't quite figure out the empty trench in the center that varies in width as you drive east, though.  I know it will be completed, I just can't figure out why it's there now. 

 

I saw some building renovations in progress, a new Aldi a few blocks west of the Clinic, and there has been an explosion in "for lease" signs as well, even east of 55th--mostly office spaces on 2nd/3rd floors and previously vacant buildings. 

 

I do feel for the businesses along the route, but if they are able to stick it out (and I hope they can), things should get much better in the long run-- better than they were previously. 

 

Are there any specific TOD projects planned along the corridor--Particularly in what is now the largely deserted area between CSU and the Cleveland Clinic?

 

 

Here's another question, when will the BRT buses start running?  When construction is completed to University Circle, or when the entire project is completed all the way out to Windermere?