That's the best that could be done from an engineering standpoint.  The major obstacle is the 8' diameter sewer line that runs parallel to the tracks.  They are relocating it as much as they can to get the interchange at 73rd.  The ideal location for the interchange would have been 65th, since it's already a main artery in the neighborhood and connects right at the heart of Gordon Square, but the north termination of 65th is the main hub of the sewer line which connects the neighborhood & continues on to the treatment plant.  Relocating that hub is not an option.

This is how W. 73rd will tie into the shoreway

 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/ClevelandUrbanCoreProjects/LakefrontWest/Documents/86481_Renderings.pdf

 

Wow, that's unfortunate. It's pretty obvious this road is a compromise between two sides who could not win the argument : "Should it be a boulevard or a freeway?" So.... "Gosh, how about both," said some bureaucrat we'll probably never meet.

 

As the old saying goes, "A camel is a thoroughbred designed by a government committee."

 

Like you I really did not want off/on ramps, but this is looking alright to me, at least aesthetically.

 

Anyhow, just look north of that red square aka "Edgewater Link." What a nightmare that entrance to Edgewater Park is. Fixing that confusing bottleneck is going to be imperative.

Do you mean North of the shoreway or south?

 

North would be perfect for a roundabout.  If anybody in this town knew how to use them.

 

I traverse the one near Steelyard and the one on MLK near the Veterans hospital.

 

People just do not get what to do.  The worst are the people who get into the roundabout then stop.

Do you mean North of the shoreway or south?

 

North would be perfect for a roundabout.  If anybody in this town knew how to use them.

 

I traverse the one near Steelyard and the one on MLK near the Veterans hospital.

 

People just do not get what to do.  The worst are the people who get into the roundabout then stop.

 

North of the Shoreway, you can see how confusing the entrance to/inside the Park is. Cars often just sit there frozen, unsure of where to go, creating a danger for other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Maybe better signage is the real issue? But I've often seen cars go in the wrong direction or even pull onto the pedestrian path.

 

In San Diego they installed roundabouts along the beach route (La Jolla). It took a few years for drivers to get used to it, but they function beautifully now.

As overpasses go, it's a decent looking overpass with the stonework and all. But I think an intersection here would be good. My interest comes from the possibility of having the #55 local buses (not the Flyers) make stops along the Shoreway after it is converted to a boulevard. Unless the buses come down the ramps, bus stops won't be possible here. And Edgewater Park and Battery Park are two significant traffic generators for transit that aren't being served right now, and may not be due to the way this project is designed.

Last time I checked, there was a huge component of this project that reconfigured the interchange at W25th & W28th.  It was going to have all traffic get on & off at 28th, creating a nice development opportunity for the wasted space at 25th, and eliminating the dangerous on-ramp at 28th which merges from the left. 

 

To me, this was the most disappointing part of the whole proposed conversion. IIRC (and I could be wrong here ... it's been a while!), it proposed demolishing several buildings at the northeast corner of West 28th and Detroit for expanded traffic flow off of the Shoreway. The particular property at the corner, Linda's Superette, has been considered by many to be a nuisance property, which I think reduced people's anxiety about demo.

 

That said, this is basically removing traffic from West 25th, which would support future speculative development where two large surface lots currently sit, and increase traffic at an intersection directly adjacent to an extremely active nightclub and several high-density residential buildings. For public housing residents down the hill, this also seems problematic as the Shoreway's swoop to the northeast and the higher-density tower being adjacent to West 28th makes West 28th a more logical pedestrian corridor than the West 25th side. And all of this happening right at a time when Hingetown storefronts, arts spaces and residential rehab are poised to make this a much more pedestrian-oriented part of Ohio City. It just seems really perplexing to me ... Again, if I've recalled all the details correctly :)

I think they could put a bus stop where 73rd comes down and ties into the "off ramp" that wont be one anymore.

 

Start with 1 stop there. 

 

Then maybe another at 54th  and then at 33-38 where the shoreway almost touches detroit (or 45th, wherever they put an intersection) so people can transfer.  more than 1 or 3 I don't think are necessary.  W. 25th already has multiple buses, no need for a stop there, especially with the real highway like on/off ramps you are still going to have, that is where the "highway" will now start.  Unless you send some (or all) of the 55's over the D/S bridge into downtown.  55S and 55D?

 

 

I cant see more than 3, and I would start with just the 1,  needed between the entrance at lake and the Main avenue bridge.  It would be nice if at 73rd there was some sort of indicator to notify the driver that he/she needs to pick up there.  No need to exit if there is nobody getting on/off.

 

I do think RTA needs to extend the 55 (or something else) during evening weekends so that people can access the park.  Have the 55 run at least hourly.  It is a good mile from Detroit/65th to get down to the park itself.

I do think RTA needs to extend the 55 (or something else) during evening weekends so that people can access the park.  Have the 55 run at least hourly.  It is a good mile from Detroit/65th to get down to the park itself.

 

Excellent. As the park becomes more of a destination this could help out a lot.

I think a tree-lined boulevard is a great thing. Coming down the hill from Lake Avenue will preserve the vistas, as will the many turns east of the Westinghouse Curve.

 

Now if we could just get rid of that bridge past Browns stadium....

 

Good point, there are slight, but noticeable elevation changes around some of those curves which will preserve some views. The trees will make for some better framing in spots for sure, and some areas will have blocked views. Give and take I suppose.

 

I think the views are more interesting when they're only available sometimes.  You come over a hill or peek between trees and "wow, there's downtown" rather than it just always being in view.  Kind of like approaching Cincinnati from the south on I75/71, or coming through a tunnel to downtown Pittsburgh from the west.

 

Even with thick trees in Edgewater Park, there are vistas.....

 

Last time I checked, there was a huge component of this project that reconfigured the interchange at W25th & W28th.  It was going to have all traffic get on & off at 28th, creating a nice development opportunity for the wasted space at 25th, and eliminating the dangerous on-ramp at 28th which merges from the left. 

 

To me, this was the most disappointing part of the whole proposed conversion. IIRC (and I could be wrong here ... it's been a while!), it proposed demolishing several buildings at the northeast corner of West 28th and Detroit for expanded traffic flow off of the Shoreway. The particular property at the corner, Linda's Superette, has been considered by many to be a nuisance property, which I think reduced people's anxiety about demo.

 

That said, this is basically removing traffic from West 25th, which would support future speculative development where two large surface lots currently sit, and increase traffic at an intersection directly adjacent to an extremely active nightclub and several high-density residential buildings. For public housing residents down the hill, this also seems problematic as the Shoreway's swoop to the northeast and the higher-density tower being adjacent to West 28th makes West 28th a more logical pedestrian corridor than the West 25th side. And all of this happening right at a time when Hingetown storefronts, arts spaces and residential rehab are poised to make this a much more pedestrian-oriented part of Ohio City. It just seems really perplexing to me ... Again, if I've recalled all the details correctly :)

 

Just noting that the reason some believe Linda's is a nuisance is likely because people from the Lakeview projects gather outside, park haphazardly on the street, cross against the light, and generally loiter - and none of this should be surprising, because it is literally the only walkable mini-grocery anywhere near the projects and can only be reached by walking along a street that barely has sidewalks. Lakeview is horribly located and cut off from everything. So, this is a consequence of terrible planning and people just having nowhere else to go.

West Shoreway conversion to boulevard with Lake Erie access gets funding, is set to begin in the spring

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A decade-long push to link Cleveland's West Side to the lakefront has the final piece of funding to complete the project.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Gov. John Kasich held a news conference today at Edgewater Park overlooking  Lake Erie to announce $20 million in state funding to turn the Shoreway into a lower-speed, tree-lined boulevard. Construction on revamping the roadway is to start next spring.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/09/west_shoreway_conversion_to_bo.html#incart_river_default

 

 

(Shakes head) Why is there a picture of North Harbor and the Browns Stadium with this article?

So I really like the roundabout idea for W.73 after driving by there over the last couple of days. if it's not going to be at grade, the left/right turns off the shoreway could be a disaster. That would be a great solution.

 

 

Does this project make the old train depot across from Edgewater a develop-able piece of property? If so, dibs on it.  Do any of the project presentations show which parcels of land would be opened up by this. I've been trying to figure that out as I drive through there.

 

One other general question, why don't we use more multi-function stop lights and lane turn restrictions around here. Seems to me that lights along Clifton/shoreway that are flashing yield/stop and right turn only at the minor intersections during rush hour would help with congestion, but calm traffic the other 20 hrs of the day.

 

 

I cant find the map I saw it on.  But the 2 most notable sections were at w. 25th and the land between the highway under/overpass and the Westinghouse building below the bluff...that area is 1/2? 2/3rds? the same size? as battery park.

 

If they put the highway at grade it opens all the way from the W. 76th tunnel to the Westinghouse building.

 

I would make that phase XX after the Eastern part is developed. 

go here

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/lakefront/iactive/flash/

 

Click on "the Plan"  5th option from the left in the header band.

 

Click on West Development detail  You can then slide the map around.

 

It looks like the area around the old train station is slated for future development... At least in the mind of whomever drew up this map.

 

 

^Those were stables, not a train station. Who knew? According to the map, it says renovate historic stables.

 

 

 

^Those were stables, not a train station. Who knew? According to the map, it says renovate historic stables.

 

 

I did. :)

Of course you did....

 

Pile driving starting today at 69th and Father Caruso.  It's thumpy down here.

 

The pile driving is as close to my front door as is it is going to get.  It's like a mini-earthquake all day long (at least from 8am-4pm). Looking forward to them moving on westward and out of my direct field of view.

super noisy too.  did you see anyone taking seismograph readings around your building, or inspecting for existing cracks in drywall etc?

We had the inspection team come through before they started the project to document what cracks were and weren't there.  Then we figure it all out after.

 

As for the noise -- as an anecdote, we sailed our boat to Lorain on thursday.  We walked out from the house to EYC and it was very loud.  It wa still loud as we pulled away from the dock.  It was loud all the way to Pier W.    We were almost to Huntington Beach before I could no longer hear it!

What is the structural concern for these pilings?

it vibrates the sheet pilings into the ground.  THe vibration is strong enough to cause cracks in adjacent homes plaster/drywall ceilings & walls...

it vibrates the sheet pilings into the ground.  THe vibration is strong enough to cause cracks in adjacent homes plaster/drywall ceilings & walls...

 

Thanks.  I wrote it wrong. 

 

I was trying to ask the reason they are being installed? 

the sewer is so deep & the trench is so wide, 12 feet I think, that driving sheet piling is the only way to open the trench & lay the sewer line, while holding the earth back

Thanks.  Appreciate it.

Trench is being dug out in front of 69th while the pile driving has pushed westward toward 70th.

 

The sewer pipes arrived

 

 

 

I walked through this construction site on Saturday.  (Alongside it via the RR tracks actually since the crews were working.)  It really seems to be moving along faster than expected.  I was initially told this sewer relocation would take 10 months but it's only been 2 months and they're already up to W. 70th.  I think they'll be laying pipe at 73rd by December and the pipe diameter probably gets slightly smaller and excavation gets slightly shallower as they head west... 

 

I might stop into the job trailer one of these days & just ask how they are doing on the overall schedule.  That railroad bridge is going to be interesting....

Downtown/Flats Design Review District

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2013/11152013/111413DRACagenda.pdf

 

Agenda

November 14 2013 9:30am

City Hall, Room 6, 601 Lakeside Avenue

 

DF2013-087: Lakefront West Boulevard Enhancements Final Approval

Project Location: West Shoreway from Clifton/W. Blvd to W. 25th

St.

Project Representatives: Kirsten Bowen, Michael Baker

Michelle Johnson, Environmental Design Group

 

 

The project listed above is scheduled for City Planning Commission on November 15th, 2013.

 

West Shoreway project on design review for January. Some pics we've seen some we haven't.

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

So is the boulevard conversion part of this project funded?  I'm hearing conflicting reports.  I see that the mainline boulevard conversion & reconfiguring of 25th & 28th ramps is in design.  Leads me to believe it's been funded.

 

In other news, the sewer relocation for the 73rd street interchange seems to be moving ahead of schedule.  I was told they'd be doing the sewer relocation for 10 months but I think they'll be cutting across 73rd (they started down at 69th) in the next month.  I did hear that there's a major duct bank of fiber optics along the route that needs relocated as well which will hold up the connection near the Powerhouse in Battery Park.

So is the boulevard conversion part of this project funded?  I'm hearing conflicting reports.  I see that the mainline boulevard conversion & reconfiguring of 25th & 28th ramps is in design.  Leads me to believe it's been funded.

 

NOACA has this project (and others, see below) funded for 2015, according to Page 54 of NOACA's Transportation Improvement Program which was approved by the NOACA this past summer (http://www.noaca.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=757):

 

PID 86480 CUY LAKEFRONT WEST RAMPS

Cleveland:

Closure of the Main Ave bridge EB entrance ramp from W 28th St and

realignment of the Main Ave bridge WB exit ramp to the south.

Reconstruction of West Shoreway W 45th St ramps to accommodate

the W 28th St traffic

 

PROJECT SPLIT FROM CUY LAKEFRONT WEST DESIGN: PID

No. 77330

 

Cost of the project is $5.8 million, with most of the funding coming from the City of Cleveland and the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program. The rest is coming from ODOT.

 

_______________

 

Also see these three projects on Page 68 which are also funded starting in 2015 (PID = Project Identification Number):

 

 

PID 86482 CUY US006-12.20 PAVEMENT Major Rehabilitation

Cleveland:

Replacement of existing US 6 mainline pavement from Clifton Blvd to

Main Ave bridge, including ramps to and from West Blvd. Shoulders

will be eliminated to reflect non-frwy speed limit. Multipurpose trail

constructed along north side of US 6

 

PROJECT SPLIT FROM CUY LAKEFRONT WEST DESIGN: PID

No. 77330

 

Cost of this project is $34.16 million with the funding coming from ODOT and City of Cleveland in 2014-15.

__________________

 

PID 94446 CUY US006-13.73

Cleveland:

Herman Ave over US 6 (West Shoreway) Bridge Repair

 

Cost of this project is $550,000 coming from ODOT in 2015.

__________________

 

PID 86479 CUY US006-13.73/VAR BIKEWAY Reconstruction & Installation of trail

Cleveland:

Installation of Lakefront Bikeway multipurpose trail along US 6 from W

65th St to W 28th St. Reconstruction of W 49th St ramps &

reconfiguration of Herman Ave bridge over US 6. Reconstruct Lake

Ave/West Blvd/US 6 ramp intersection

 

PROJECT SPLIT FROM CUY LAKEFRONT WEST DESIGN: PID

No. 77330

 

Cost is $12 million -- all from the City of Cleveland. Design is funded for 2014 but construction is apparently not yet funded.

Thanks for the breakdown, sounds like this project is 100% full steam ahead.  Here's another article recapping the history: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/09/west_shoreway_conversion_to_bo.html

 

As far as actual progress goes, the 73rd sewer relocation seems to be moving along ahead of schedule.  The crew is laying new sewer across 73rd as of this morning.  By end of January, they should be near 74th. 

I just re-read the article that I linked in the comment above.  Councilman Zone says the project is responsible for $500 million in development, already occurred or planned.  I'm calling BS on that

He's counting Battery Park and probably every new housing development in DS in the last 15 years. It is rather shocking to see a councilman stretch the truth. Ha!

including what's built in Battery Park so far & everything that's planned doesn't even make half the $500 million...

 

This pic taken a few days ago during the "polar vortex". Standing on what was Fr. Caruso at 70th looking S-W.  The sewer tunnel is cut to the south here through the old factory property.

 

 

 

I found the pic interesting with the unceremonious lopping of the Italian flagged phone pole.  Kind of summarizes the changes in the neighborhood.

I have been struggling to find the final designs for the conversion to a boulevard...do they exist yet? There are a ton of designs on ODOT's page, but it isn't clear to me what the final design is. Anybody? Have a link?

"I found the pic interesting with the unceremonious lopping of the Italian flagged phone pole.  Kind of summarizes the changes in the neighborhood."

 

I know more than a few there will welcome said change.  There is a parochial element there that does not always serve the areas best interests.

after starting down at 69th, the sewer relocation phase of this project is now across 73rd, heading toward 74th before it connects back behind the BP volleyball courts.  Seems like this phase of the project must be moving faster than expected.  Will be interested to see how the rest of the work progresses

See graphic of proposed traffic circle here:

http://media.cleveland.com/plain_dealer_metro/photo/edgewaterjpg-a5bae20c8c83325b.jpg

 

Cleveland Metroparks planning new traffic circle at Edgewater

By James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer

Follow on Twitter

on January 30, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated January 30, 2014 at 6:27 AM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Metroparks have overseen the former state-run lakefront parks for only seven months, but already have plans to link Edgewater with the ambitious rebuild of the West Shoreway.

 

The three Metroparks commissioners voted earlier this month to allocate funds -- more than $800,000 -- on a new traffic circle that will streamline traffic in and out of eastern segment.

 

Dick Kerber, the Metroparks' chief planning and design officer, said the entrance now has six legs including ones leading to a marina, Whiskey Island, various parking lots inside Edgewater, the Sewer districts' Westerly Water Treatment Plant and on- and off-ramps for the Shoreway.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/01/cleveland_metroparks_planning.html

:clap: :clap: YAY  :clap: :clap:

So as part of that article. They state bus with bike racks will be stopping at the park

 

"He said last week that an RTA stop will be nearby, served by buses with external bike racks."

 

 

 

Will this be the 55?  Will it run more often and evenings/weekends. Or a differently bus?

 

Will it stop near the roundabout?  Near where 73rd is coming in?  Up top closer to edgewater or both?

So as part of that article. They state bus with bike racks will be stopping at the park

 

"He said last week that an RTA stop will be nearby, served by buses with external bike racks."

 

 

 

Will this be the 55?  Will it run more often and evenings/weekends. Or a differently bus?

 

Will it stop near the roundabout?  Near where 73rd is coming in?  Up top closer to edgewater or both?

 

It will be the 55. When Enhance Clifton is nearing completion, I anticipate the Federal Transit Administration (which is funding much of the project's cost) will urge GCRTA to operate the 55 more frequently off-peak on weekdays, later in the evenings, and restore weekend service. The FTA doesn't pay millions for BRT-lite projects only to have the sponsoring transit agency not run buses on it and make full use of the federal investment.

The sewer trench out on Father Caruso looks to be almost competely filled back in.  It's gone from frozen solid to sloppy mud but they've been it at it pretty hard all through the winter.

 

For the time being I think that's the end of the pile driving ... thank god.

 

http://www.fox19.com/story/24734742/west-side-power-outage

 

Neighbors complaining about frequent power outages they're attributing to the project. 

 

Homeowners on W.70th are fed up and freezing.  Their power was out all morning, and they say it's not the first time.

 

"Why does the transformer keep going out in this area? It's like every other weekend we don't have electricity. On a day like this, in the teens…we don' t have electricity?" said Mary Tieri.

 

Residents say they've yet to get an explanation from the city but they say their problems began the same time that the West Shoreway Boulevard project did.

 

 

But some residents don't mind the problems.  They're focusing instead on the end game, which is connecting the neighborhood to the lakefront and the shoreway.

 

"It's a long term big plus for the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood.  I think the Shoreway Boulevard {project} will drive both residential population into the neighborhood and support the local businesses," said Dergon. 

 

 

Crews are clearing the trees from the north side of the bluff along the RR tracks, facing the Shoreway.  Won't be long and you'll be able to see exactly where that connection is going to pop through the slope.  Overall the project seems to be moving along ahead of schedule. 

http://www.fox19.com/story/24734742/west-side-power-outage

 

Neighbors complaining about frequent power outages they're attributing to the project. 

 

Homeowners on W.70th are fed up and freezing.  Their power was out all morning, and they say it's not the first time.

 

"Why does the transformer keep going out in this area? It's like every other weekend we don't have electricity. On a day like this, in the teens…we don' t have electricity?" said Mary Tieri.

 

Residents say they've yet to get an explanation from the city but they say their problems began the same time that the West Shoreway Boulevard project did.

 

 

I was fed up about that power outage as well.  There have been quite a few outages recently.  I emailed CPP & got a response that they had a breaker blow near W. 25th which was replaced but didn't fix the problem till they checked several other substations and found another blown breaker.  It's not due to the Shoreway project though.

Sewer trench has been filled in from 69th to 73rd.  Now trench is dug open from 73rd westward to behind BP powerhouse.

 

They pulled out the 3rd set of rails (someone told me what the name for that little accessory track is ... probably in this thread but I forget  :drunk: ) .  Anyway. That third set of tracks is yanked out.

 

I've got some nice pics but I have to wait until mrs_dergon yanks them off of her camera and sends them to me. :)