Saw this on Facebook just now....

 

City of Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Ohio Governor John Kasich recently announced that funding for a vital lakefront development link is confirmed, allowing the West 73rd Street connector to Edgewater Park to begin construction in 2013. The new underpass project supports the ongoing economic and community development of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood and helps put people to work.

This project supports Mayor Jackson’s vision of opening up the City’s lakefront to residents, businesses and visitors and ensuring that all of Cleveland is connected to its most vital natural asset – Lake Erie.

in the future there will be descion made to replace the Main avenue bridge, since route 2 will be a 35mph boulevard does it continue to make sense to spend 500-600 million dollars to replace the high level main avenue bridge which is the the longest bridge to cross the Cuyahoga river and the least used bridge to cross the river in the county.

 

imagine what a difference it would be if the bridge was removed from west 25th to East 6th or so, and replaced with intersections at west 9th, west 6th, west 3rd and east 9th.   

 

concerns are congestion, and inconvenience to the relatively small numbers of drivers that actually travel the full span of the bridge. 

 

the benefit tothe warehouse district is by remving ramps you opens up acres of land for development and improve the quality of life there by reducing the noise and dust Associated with a freeway.

I've always thought the ride across that bridge was unique in that you feel like you're swerving between high rises in the middle of the air, but I agree that removing it is probably the better use of that land. The real advantage of it though is that if ODOT can be convinced that the bridge doesn't need to be replaced as a high level bridge, they might be willing to go along with removing it instead to save money, which would make future changes to the Shoreway in the Boulevard direction make more sense.

Some historical views from the 1920s-40s:

 

Aerial, 1932, with the Main Avenue swing bridge visible....

 

 

 

Main Avenue swing bridge, April 2, 1937.....

 

 

 

Main Avenue swing bridge, July 31, 1937.....

 

 

 

From the west side looking to the east side where a train crossing Main Avenue has caused traffic to back up on June 8, 1938 (a year before the high-level bridge opened)....

 

 

 

Trains crossing on both sides of the bridge caused traffic jams on both sides of the swing bridge....

 

 

 

In the final years of the Main Avenue swing bridge. Viewed in June 9, 1945....

 

 

 

Same day, different view.....

 

Rebar and forms going up today for the retaining walls along the RR tracks at 76th.  Seems like they plan on working through the winter.  Should really start taking shape in the next few weeks. 

keeping with the idea of making the shoreway a Boulevard, IF the shoreway bridge is removed, how far east could the bridge reasonably intersect with the street grid on the West Bank?  How much of the flyover portion could be removed?

 

I know these are big ifs, but is there a structural engineering reason the W. 26th exit/entrance couldn't be an at grade intersection?  Then the bunker then a huge bunker that separates Ohio City from the lakefront could be removed

I know these are big ifs, but is there a structural engineering reason the W. 26th exit/entrance couldn't be an at grade intersection?  Then the bunker then a huge bunker that separates Ohio City from the lakefront could be removed

 

You mean like it was before the Shoreway replaced Bulkley Boulevard?

^Im not that old!  Did Buckley Boulevard go into the flats, or did it end at W. 25th (which it was probably called something else back then)

 

To rephrase my question, could the future shoreway boulevard have a bridge that starts and ends roughly the same configuration as the Detroit-Superior (Vets Memorial) Bridge? 

So how old do you think I am? Bulkley Boulevard went from the intersection of Clifton and Lake, ran past the Edgewater Bathhouse below the New York Central mainline, curved next to the Westinghouse Plant, past the waterworks and the new Lakeview homes before curving into the intersection of West 25th and Detroit Avenue -- all of it like the Shoreway does today except without the grade separated intersections! But Bulkley had some trees and grass along it to show motorists (and horse-drawn carriages before) that this was a special road to the lakefront parks and the garden suburbs beyond.

 

So I fired up my time machine with the hover conversion kit, hit 88 mph, and got these shots for ya.....

 

 

Good job on the photos, KJP.  I presume that you have perused the collection at Cleveland Public Library.

It's always said that the Shoreway has always been the biggest barrier to lakefront access. Let's not forget that one of the very first things built on the west side of Cleveland was the rail line along the coast. This rail line was put in decades before any homes/buildings and streets popped up on the west side and has pretty much guided all development long before the current Shoreway was materialized.

 

Here are some fun old maps to look at that show different evolutions of the neighborhoods in this area:

 

1874:

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/36273/West+Cleveland+++North/

 

1898:

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/170061/Cleveland+City+++Part+008/

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/170150/West+Cleveland+++Part+001/

 

 

Here's a map of 1913 pre Shoreway:

http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=clvl03nw.jpg&state=OH

 

And for fun, here's an 1898 rendering of the Edgewater Parkway. This would have been constructed on fake land (just as today's is) and then flowed into W 58th Street via an underpass.

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/1248214/

 

It's comical that here we are in the 21st century talking about building underpasses under that rail line to connect to the lake when they were proposing to do it in the 19th century :-D I guess things just take a really long time here.  :-D

Great maps!

 

Good job on the photos, KJP.  I presume that you have perused the collection at Cleveland Public Library.

 

No, just the clevelandmemory.com collection.

There is fresh orange spray paint this morning marking the cable lines as well as some small (by hand) digging along the strip of land North of Father Caruso Drive from W73rd to W 70th.  Maybe finally getting ready to move that sewer as part of the 73rd st. underpass?

Drainage, signage, lighting and associated amenities of the West 73rd extension under the tracks to the West Shoreway are on CPC's agenda for Jan. 4. Graphics are posted at:

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2013/01042013/index.php

 

 

 

Update on West 73rd on Cleveland.com. 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/01/clevelands_west_73rd_underpass.html

I'm curious who is building this thing - they've been working on it for the past year that I've been driving downtown and I see activity every day, but progress is insanely and pathetically slow.  Seems like two grandpas and some tools working on something at a very slow pace....Maybe a bunch of retired guys that don't care about when the project is done?

you're confused with the 76th tunnel.  And it's going so slow because it's expensive to pour concrete when its freezing outside

you're confused with the 76th tunnel.  And it's going so slow because it's expensive to pour concrete when its freezing outside

 

But there's been stretches of several months of inactivity where equipment is just sitting there without a soul anywhere nearby.

The previous contract was terminated & the remaining work was rebid based of new designs for the structural steel.    The lag time was waiting for the fabricated steel caissons to arrive.  Weather permitting, I think you'll see steady progress straight through the winter & into the spring.

I think there was a span of 10 months where the pedestrian tunnel redesign wasn't even moving at all, but the equipment just lay idle along it. It does seem that this project has been ongoing for almost 2-3 years now, which is insanely long compared to other projects in the region.

 

It also seems like there's new graffiti on this every month or so and with those huge new concrete walls, this is just begging to be tagged upon completion.

There was a period of at least 8 or 9 months where nothing happened.  ODOT had to redesign the retaining walls because the original design with soil nails wasn't holding the slope back.  I agree on the graffiti tags on the new concrete, but the final design features a wire mesh which will be covered with ivy plants to give it a natural look and no hard surfaces to paint.

Heads up for all interested.  There is a public meeting tonight at Mt. Carmel Church at 6:30 about the West 73rd interchange.  It will be a public forum demanded by local residents.  ODOT, City will be there, and possibly some media.  Should be a productive meeting.

Did anyone attend that meeting or get new info out of it?  I was supposed to go but got stuck late at work.

Yeah, it was recapped in the Detroit Shoreway thread.  Update for the 73rd Connection is basically that they are bidding it late spring, starting this summer.  Planning to be a 3 year project.  First year will be entirely taken up by the sewer line relocation, 2nd year is rebuilding the new bridge, 3rd year is sitework on either side of the RR tracks.  Might as well call it 4 yrs.  ODOT says they have contingency money built in for cost overruns and are prepared to go forward. 

 

Some misinformation about the tan colored shipping/receiving building at 73rd & Caruso.  Councilman Zone said it was getting demo'd as part of the project.  ODOT said "oh no it's not".  Zone said the Battery Park developer owned it and was tearing it down.  Battery Park said "not yet we don't".  Stay tuned on that.

 

76th tunnel will be open in July complete with "glacier" style public art

 

Catanzerite warehouse at 76th is definitely moving ahead with loft apartment renovation.  Looking to start work in May, should take a year, then leasing.  Retail on first floor cut back from 9,000 to 5,000 sf and a few apartments were added on the first floor instead

Some misinformation about the tan colored shipping/receiving building at 73rd & Caruso.  Councilman Zone said it was getting demo'd as part of the project.  ODOT said "oh no it's not".  Zone said the Battery Park developer owned it and was tearing it down.  Battery Park said "not yet we don't".  Stay tuned on that.

 

 

Fast forward to July 12, 2013.  Tunnel is done and open.  And today I saw a survey crew working out on the Shoreway.  I get hopefully that there is more planning underway!

Matt Zone & DSCDO are holding a community meeting on the West 73rd Underpass project this week.

 

Thurday night July 18th at 6:30 in the OLMC  school gym on W 70th.    ODOT and Great Lakes Construction reps to make presentations.

Thanks to all the rain, the grass has all filled in around the slope near the tunnel. Looks really great. But why are there still orange construction cones everywhere? How long before ODOT removes them? Are they still doing residual work around the tunnel? Would be nice to see the project "officially" complete with no miscellaneous work type objects laying around the site.

Thanks to all the rain, the grass has all filled in around the slope near the tunnel. Looks really great. But why are there still orange construction cones everywhere? How long before ODOT removes them? Are they still doing residual work around the tunnel? Would be nice to see the project "officially" complete with no miscellaneous work type objects laying around the site.

 

Probably the same group of under achievers who used to manage maintenance at Edgewater ;)

I think there is still some work to be done on the tunnel - mostly landscaping. Some of the railings have not been cemented in I think because they need to get behind them to plant the plants that will climb up the metal grids on the walls. I do wish that they had considered placing a bench or two along the path. Some folks may want to take a break along the way. Add some trash cans too.

Matt Zone & DSCDO are holding a community meeting on the West 73rd Underpass project this week.

 

Thurday night July 18th at 6:30 in the OLMC  school gym on W 70th.    ODOT and Great Lakes Construction reps to make presentations.

 

Upcoming 73rd project is going to be huge.  Train tracks will be temporarily rerouted to the south, closer to Caruso, while the new railroad bridge & headwalls are built.  Father Caruso street is going to start getting torn up down by 67th and the work will progress west toward Battery Park.  8' diameter sewer will be laid in a 12' wide trench.  Driving sheet pile the entire length, 10 hrs a day for the next 10 months.  After the sewer is rerouted, the railroad bridge will start and 73rd excavation will begin next summer

 

 

 

 

 

7am today ... construction begins.  (They're cutting out the curb along the northernmost part of W69th at Fr. Caruso.)

 

Interestingly, the orange closure sign leaves blank the number of days.  I'm thinking of going out there and painting in an  ∞    onto it. :)

 

 

^ haha.  Saw the same business over in Battery Park.  I had to tell my wife "remember this day".  The last day in about 5 years there will not be construction vehicles in our front yard.

 

Some misinformation about the tan colored shipping/receiving building at 73rd & Caruso.  Councilman Zone said it was getting demo'd as part of the project.  ODOT said "oh no it's not".  Zone said the Battery Park developer owned it and was tearing it down.  Battery Park said "not yet we don't".  Stay tuned on that.

 

 

Word around the neighborhood is that the 7202 Fr. Caruso building is officially on the demo list.  True?

 

Also apparantly there is now a bit of a disagreement on how Battery Park will connect to get Eastbound out of the neighborhood.  Apparantly continuing Fr. Frascati Est to hit W. 70th is the lead option, but the residents on 70th want an elevated bridge  on Fr. Caruso to go up and over the tunnel and continue to use Fr. Caruso as the main E/W passage.  Any info?

 

 

And finally ... here's the view this morning.  Sewer being trenched out I think.

 

^ITS the residents on 70th that want a bridge???  Yes those are the two options accoridng to Councilman Zone, who is framing it as ODOT gets to make the decision based on stuidies.  The bridge would be obsolete and terrible ideas.  Terrible urban planning, waste of money and will be underutilized.

 

They are demo'ing 7202 eventually.  The only realistic option is to punch Frascati through. 

In that photo, they are digging the new railroad bed.  The tracks are going to be re-layed to the vacant area to the south.  The trains will run on this new, temporary track location while the existing tracks are cut off, and a bridge headwall gets installed.

 

Wait till the sheet pile driving starts.  10-12 hrs a day, 10 months straight.

 

There are a couple options for connecting BP to the eastern neighborhoods

 

1.  Do nothing and leave the plans as is.  You can walk or bike directly from 73rd back to the eastern section of Caruso via a new sidewalk that will go along the RR tracks.  Cars would still have to go back up to Detroit & around

2.  Add the car bridge over the lowered 73rd.  I don't see this happening.  It's too late in the game and too expensive.  The project will have plenty of cost overruns to eat up whatever is currently available

3.  Punch Frascati through from 73rd over to 70th once that tan shipping & receiving building is done.  This is most logical, but it bisects that parcel, now owned by Vintage Development, in a way that makes a little sliver on the south totally unusable and makes the overall parcel even smaller.  Developing this parcel will already be a challenge.  They will have to create access somehow for this parcel from 70th I think, even though any development will face the west & north primarily

From a railroad perspective, the new tracks around the construction site (called a shoefly) is going to be difficult operationally. The railroad right of way climbs at a 0.8 percent grade from the bridge at the mouth of Cuyahoga River to near Triskett Road. Doesn't sound like much, but some longer, heavier trains really struggle to climb that grade. And adding track curvature to a grade increases the effective rate of gradient.

 

It will also be interesting to see how Amtrak does through the shoefly. Amtrak's normal operating speed past Edgewater Park is 79 mph. That will be significantly reduced through the shoefly.

They aren't doing anything with the tracks until the sewer is done. I was at the meeting with ODOT, the contractor, the water department and Zone last week.  They will first be driving pilings to trench in the sewer.  any pile driving for the tracks will occur at 73rd, the photo shows the intersection of 69th.

 

 

 

CPP is also putting the power underground along the sewer work..

 

 

they are taking up both sides of the road the same distance.  The sewers are massive, they are replacing them and the "intercepts" at 69th and 70th which are even more massive.

 

the tracks are moving 30 feet.  There is a double track ( the train is on the nearest of the 2)  the track you see in front of the train is about the 30 feet the tracks are moving  that is an old un-used siding for all the heavy  industry (everyready battery plant -- now battery park to the westinghouse builiding) that used to be here back in the day. 

 

There is no reason Frascati has to go straight through, put a jog in it so it is on on the edge of the parcel.

 

I know the fracsati option backed by zone, cant imagine ODOT or anybody else changing the current plan after they have broken ground.

Understood. Even a track displacement as little as 30 feet adds more effective gradient. BTW, the siding is not unused. It is called the West Park Secondary track and extends as far west as Berea. Some sections of it are used more than others -- the part from Rockport Yard (next to I-480) to Berea is used 15-20 times daily. But I suspect Norfolk Southern will require that the WPS be restored at the conclusion of this project.

Wasnt sure about the western terminus  but the eastern end is the westinghouse building as in inside the westinghouse building.  I have walked that track from down around whiskey island to where the construction is now.

 

Dergon can back me up on this because I know he walks his dog there...from battery park east that track has not been used for anything (i have been there 3 yeas and not seen anything on those tracks)  and if you get down on ground level and walk it.. to my uneducated eye is currently unusable.  it is not flat and level the tracks are not true and perpendicular.  The Ballast is uneven.  the siding sits between 3 and 5 feet lower than the tracks.  and that 2 foot difference can be within a 100 foot run.

 

 

Anything done short of removing them entirely will probably place them in better condition than they are now.  Since that is where the "temporary" double tracks are going, I expect the foundation to much better than what is there now.

 

 

But regardless.  Digging out/driving pilings for the sewers.  then the train "bridge", then the 73rd st underpass. then repaving Fr. Caruso.

 

2 + years

 

After all that then maybe the put Friscati through.  ODOT and the contrator were asked about connecting E of 70th to 73rd.  Shrugs all around.  I would bet the house on not getting Fr. Caruso over on a bridge.  Now or ever.

 

It will be Frascati or nothing.  I am worried that the walking path between 70 and 73 might get the axe at some point.

 

1 fun fact.

 

They just repaved w. 70th all the way down to Fr. Caruso from Detroit.  Including ripping up and replacing the handicapped curb cuts/ramps that were perfectly serviceable and hadn't been there very long.

 

Those and about 200-300 feet up 70th  from Fr. caruso will now be torn up for the sewer work.  In the grand scheme of things a small thing...but really? the city paving folks couldn't have saved 300 feet of asphalt time/materials and the curbs? 

 

That is one of the small things that makes people really question their leaders.  not even 2 months after putting it down it is getting ripped out......like they didn't realize the multi year multi million dollar project was going to start a couple months later.

I thought to ask and then forgot to ask the guys at the meeting.

 

Does anyone know where they will start/end the 30 foot shift?  there is a bridge around 58th and another across lake that limits how far east/west they can find 30 feet.  Will they use this entire distance?  will the trains have new signalling? what will the speed be on the temporary shift?  I have seen trains go by pretty darn fast, will they maintain that speed.

 

I don't know that the guys at the meeting would even know the answers, there were no railroad people there, and the rail work wont be happening until next year

I've seen the Amtrak train race by.  It was discussed in the kickoff meeting and it will definitely have to slow down...

 

W. 70th is Zone's baby because the school is there.  Barely any use on that street, barely any residential, yet it was repaved?  Go figure.  Meanwhile 73rd near Detroit is like driving on the moon.  Ditto for most of 65th between Detroit & Caruso, much more traffic.

^ITS the residents on 70th that want a bridge???  Yes those are the two options accoridng to Councilman Zone, who is framing it as ODOT gets to make the decision based on stuidies.  The bridge would be obsolete and terrible ideas.  Terrible urban planning, waste of money and will be underutilized.

 

They are demo'ing 7202 eventually.  The only realistic option is to punch Frascati through. 

 

From the feedback through the grapevine it was a few residents of those yellow houses on the east side of 70th who oppose a road coming in at a "T" opposite their places.        I can't see what the big deal is but ..... that's what I hear.

 

 

Dergon can back me up on this because I know he walks his dog there...from battery park east that track has not been used for anything (i have been there 3 yeas and not seen anything on those tracks)  and if you get down on ground level and walk it.. to my uneducated eye is currently unusable.  it is not flat and level the tracks are not true and perpendicular.  The Ballast is uneven.  the siding sits between 3 and 5 feet lower than the tracks.  and that 2 foot difference can be within a 100 foot run.

 

It's definately rough there for sure.  There's the third track just south of the main two which is about 18" lower.  That is occasionally used for maintenence and spraying the weeds along the edge and the occasionally delivery to the warehouses at 78th. 

 

 

 

1 fun fact.

 

They just repaved w. 70th all the way down to Fr. Caruso from Detroit.  Including ripping up and replacing the handicapped curb cuts/ramps that were perfectly serviceable and hadn't been there very long.

 

Those and about 200-300 feet up 70th  from Fr. caruso will now be torn up for the sewer work.  In the grand scheme of things a small thing...but really? the city paving folks couldn't have saved 300 feet of asphalt time/materials and the curbs? 

 

That is one of the small things that makes people really question their leaders.  not even 2 months after putting it down it is getting ripped out......like they didn't realize the multi year multi million dollar project was going to start a couple months later.

 

Just like on Clifton, where they had to pour the handicap ramps, even though the sidewalks they lead to are so pitted and uneven because of tree limbs that no wheelchair could ever pass!

From a railroad perspective, the new tracks around the construction site (called a shoefly) is going to be difficult operationally. The railroad right of way climbs at a 0.8 percent grade from the bridge at the mouth of Cuyahoga River to near Triskett Road. Doesn't sound like much, but some longer, heavier trains really struggle to climb that grade. And adding track curvature to a grade increases the effective rate of gradient.

 

It will also be interesting to see how Amtrak does through the shoefly. Amtrak's normal operating speed past Edgewater Park is 79 mph. That will be significantly reduced through the shoefly.

 

What is the origin of the term "Shoefly?" 

Including ripping up and replacing the handicapped curb cuts/ramps that were perfectly serviceable and hadn't been there very long.

 

That seems to be happening a lot all over around where I live...perfectly decent looking old (stamped) concrete curb cuts/ramps getting ripped up and replaced.  The new ones have those bumpy blue or pink inserts that deteriorate really fast...within a couple of years and become loose.  I just figured it was the feds guidelines and they were paying for it...seems wasteful.  Especially since those inserts just seem to rot away fast.

Dergon can back me up on this because I know he walks his dog there...from battery park east that track has not been used for anything (i have been there 3 yeas and not seen anything on those tracks)  and if you get down on ground level and walk it.. to my uneducated eye is currently unusable.  it is not flat and level the tracks are not true and perpendicular.  The Ballast is uneven.  the siding sits between 3 and 5 feet lower than the tracks.  and that 2 foot difference can be within a 100 foot run.

 

FYI, those things don't determine whether tracks have been used recently. They only determine what FRA class rating the track has -- which is Excepted for 10 mph or less with no hazardous materials allowed. I've seen trains use tracks in much worse condition than what's between Fr. Caruso and the two mainline tracks. Check the shade of rust on the top of the rail. If its the same color as the rust on the sides of the rail, it hasn't been used in years. If its lighter, its been used in weeks or months. And, of course, if the rail head is shiny, it's been used within the past day or day (depending on the last time there was precipitation/fog).

 

What is the origin of the term "Shoefly?" 

 

I have no idea. In fact, the term is actually spelled "Shoo-fly" or "Shoofly." Go figure. So I searched Google (as you could have) and here's the answer.....

http://www.word-detective.com/2010/03/shoo-fly/

 

And not all shooflies cause restricted train speeds. This one between Los Angeles and San Diego allowed Amtrak trains to stay close to their 90 mph max (in our area, it's 79 mph). Just in case you're wondering, these trains operate in push-pull mode, so sometimes the locomotives are pushing with the engineer seated in a cab at the end opposite of the train from the locomotive, FWIW). I wonder how the railroad shoofly will be designed for the West Shoreway.....

 

“Shoo-fly” meaning “temporary bypass” first appeared in railroad jargon around 1905. The logic of this use is unclear, but I think it’s significant that around the same time “shoo-fly” was also being used to mean “a local or commuter train.”  My guess is that such trains, traveling slowly with frequent stops, were considered a rustic or “hick” mode of travel, likely to be carrying as many flies as human travelers (requiring passengers to constantly “shoo flies”).  Perhaps the “shoo-fly” name then broadened to mean bypasses from the main line where trains would have to slow down and, eventually, to any sort of bypass, even on a highway.

 

http://www.word-detective.com/2010/03/shoo-fly/

 

 

 

Two pics taken today.  The first looking North at Fr. Caruso at 69th from the South.  The second is taken along the railroad tracks looking West from 69th.  They've pulled up Father Caruso and built what looks to me like a temporary patch of road North of where the old street was (kind of partly using what would have been the North lan of Fr.Caruso and part of the grassy along the RR tracks).