Is it time yet for a separate NOACA thread?

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http://www.chroniclet.com/2007/11/02/county-to-noaca-fix-vote-or-we-quit

 

County to NOACA: Fix vote or we quit

Brad Dicken | The Chronicle-Telegram

 

ELYRIA — The county commissioners aren’t backing down from their efforts to have a system of voting that strongly favors Cuyahoga County eliminated from the bylaws of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.

 

On Thursday, the commissioners sent a letter to NOACA Executive Director Howard Maier in which they asked him to start the process of asking each of the five counties that are members of the transportation planning agency to approve the change.

 

A majority of each of the boards of commissioners in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties would have to OK it.

 

“If not, we’ll leave NOACA,’’ Commissioner Ted Kalo said...

 

Post edited 9-4-09 to comply with terms of use

This is the Great Compromise issue all over again.  Is anyone reporting what these counties suggest as an alternative to the current voting system?  Do they not agree that if a county holds 2/3rd of the body's population it should have the most say?

They're incapable of suggesting anything that might possibly involve them compromising any of their little fifedom. Typical small-town, exurban "big fish in a small pond" mentality.

Lorain is a teenage girl living with her sisters Medina, Geauga and Lake in a house run by Mr. & Mrs. Cuyahoga. Problem is, the household hasn't increased in wealth in years but they keep putting new additions on the house and giving them nice hand-me-downs as the daughters get older. But then Mr. and Mrs. Cuyahoga tell their spoiled daughters that we can't keep living this way or they will go into debt and won't have any hand-me-downs left. Worse, the foundation has been neglected because the flat wealth has been allowed to go to the new additions, and the house risks collapsing of its own weight. Unless the teenage girls bring in new income to the household and/or Mr. & Mrs. Cuyahoga get new income, then the generosity has got to stop.

 

It's a hell of a way to run a household. But the spoiled brats don't understand nor are they willing to listen. They'd rather go their own way, although they can't physically move away. Instead, they want to close their bedroom doors and turn up the stereo really loud. But that won't change things. In fact, it will probably make things worse by increasing the risk of the house falling to pieces.

 

What's needed is family therapy. And fast.

^ That is great!

Amen - *that* needs to be sent as a letter to the editor to every pub in the region.

Nice job KJP. So true, a spoiled, intitiled, teenager that screams "I hate you" but has their hand out....at worst a parasite.  Lorain,she is  B let me tell you. I was in a place called "North Ridgeville" today. Oh. dear.

Amen - *that* needs to be sent as a letter to the editor to every pub in the region.

 

I can't write a letter to the editor. But I can put it in my Sun column.

 

Glad you liked my spur-o-the-moment metaphors.

Lorain is a teenage girl living with her sisters Medina, Geauga and Lake in a house run by Mr. & Mrs. Cuyahoga. Problem is, the household hasn't increased in wealth in years but they keep putting new additions on the house and giving them nice hand-me-downs as the daughters get older. But then Mr. and Mrs. Cuyahoga tell their spoiled daughters that we can't keep living this way or they will go into debt and won't have any hand-me-downs left. Worse, the foundation has been neglected because the flat wealth has been allowed to go to the new additions, and the house risks collapsing of its own weight. Unless the teenage girls bring in new income to the household and/or Mr. & Mrs. Cuyahoga get new income, then the generosity has got to stop.

 

It's a hell of a way to run a household. But the spoiled brats don't understand nor are they willing to listen. They'd rather go their own way, although they can't physically move away. Instead, they want to close their bedroom doors and turn up the stereo really loud. But that won't change things. In fact, it will probably make things worse by increasing the risk of the house falling to pieces.

 

What's needed is family therapy. And fast.

 

I think that's a good analogy, except maybe it goes a little more like this.  Little Loraine grows up and moves out of the house as most kids who grow up want to do.  But Ma and Pa Cuyahoga had gotten hooked on federal tax deductions and other subsidies dependent on keeping children in the house.  What's more, they hadn't ever changed the furnace filter or otherwise done much of any maintenance on their home, which became a dump.

 

Feeling this was unfair, Ma and Pa cry to the government that Loraine, now grown and trying to raise a family of her own, ought to be forced to move back in and fix up the her parents' run down shack.  Or, barring that, be forced to pay to replace the avocado green appliances that Ma and Pa are still using.

 

If you ask me, that's a little closer to the truth.

 

^wait, so the Federal Government is propping up Cuyahoga County with tax subsidies that Lorain County Doesn't get?

Arenn please walk in the shoes of Cuyahoga County officials or at least read up on this issue before attempting an opinion. I encourage you to read these informative reports....

 

http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2003/03transportation_hill.aspx

 

http://www.ewg.org/reports/gastaxlosers

 

http://governing.com/archive/1998/jun/regions.txt

 

http://www.adva.com/SprawlExpense/D-1-1-SCUA_Highway.html

 

And, this is not just a Northeast Ohio, but a statewide (and even federal) issue. Here's a view from the Cincinnati area:

 

http://www.lwvcincinnati.org/publications/Suburban_Sprawl.html

I thought this might be a good catch-all thread for road and street closures, construction delays, etc.

 

For starters, here's what you get to look forward to in Tremont/Duck Island. Note that the red lines are also the primary detours. I think that ODOT and the Streets department get kickbacks from repair shops:

And you you forget to show on that map that the Eagle Road bridge is not just closed, but GONE!

 

The West 3rd Street lift bridge, farther south, is due to be closed for painting, but has been delayed several times since last year.

Have fun commuters: this ought to make for an interesting afternoon drive.

 

Slope repairs to close multiple ramps

 

Cleveland

 

October 20, 2008, 4:09 PM, Garfield Heights, OH…

 

Beginning Wednesday, October 22, following the morning rush hour, crews will close both the E. 14th Street and E. 21st Street ramps to I-77 southbound in order to perform slope and catch basin repairs.  Crews will also close the left lane of the I-90 westbound ramp to I-77 southbound.  One lane will remain open for access.

 

East 14th and 21st Street traffic may detour via Orange Avenue southbound to I-77 southbound.

 

The East 14th and 21st Street ramps as well as the left lane of the I-90 westbound ramp to I-77 southbound will remain closed for approximately two weeks as repairs are made.  Slope issues have undermined the shoulder at the junction of the I-90 westbound to I-77 southbound ramp and I-77 northbound to I-90 westbound ramp.

 

The above mentioned ramps are critical routes while lanes are closed on the I-90 Innerbelt Bridge, therefore, ODOT has accelerated the sale and construction of this project.

 

The Ontario Street, E. 9th Street, E. 14th Street & I-77 northbound ramps to I-90 westbound and Ontario Street ramp to I-77 southbound remain closed following inspection of the I-90 Innerbelt Bridge. 

 

All dates and times are approximate and weather dependent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D12/Deputy%20Director/News/Pages/Sloperepairstoclosemultipleramps.aspx

 

 

Glad im coming in on the #39

Sucks for the suburbanites

Sucks for the Clevelandites too.

Sucks for the Clevelandites too.

Not really, as we have a better connection to the transportation system.

 

This is a clear situation where ODOT should be cut and money should be going into transportation.

 

This is a clear situation where ODOT should be cut and money should be going into transportation.

 

You mean different modes of transportation?

That's what I was thinking in my head when I typed that.

Many more options for us.

 

This is a clear situation where ODOT should be cut and money should be going into transportation.

 

You mean different modes of transportation?

 

I'm sorry.  I meant public (RTA) and green transportation options.

well..

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/10/odot_opens_e_14th_st_ramp_to_i.html

 

ODOT opens East 14th Street ramp to I-90 to ease congestion

 

Posted by Karen Farkas/Plain Dealer Reporter

October 22, 2008 13:45PM

 

CLEVELAND -- The East 14th Street ramp to Interstate 90 west was opened today to help ease congestion caused by the closing of the ramps at East 14th and East 21st streets to Interstate 77.

 

That ramp and others to I-90 west have been shut down since Oct. 1 when the two outbound and two inbound lanes of the Inner Belt Bridge were closed to reduce weight on the span...

 

 

ODOT closes all on-ramps to I-90/77/71  to ease Innerbelt congestion

 

Only pass through traffic from other states allowed to pass through poverty stricken city

 

Posted by Poopsie / Plain Dealer Reporter October 22, 2008 13:45PM

 

CLEVELAND -- blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah.

 

^Awesome  :lol:

ODOT closes all on-ramps to I-90/77/71  to ease Innerbelt congestion

 

Only pass through traffic from other states allowed to pass through poverty stricken city

 

Posted by Poopsie / Plain Dealer Reporter October 22, 2008 13:45PM

 

CLEVELAND -- blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah.

 

 

Sucks for the Clevelandites too.

 

As a resident of Cleveland, I agree.

Sucks for the Clevelandites too.

 

As a resident of Cleveland, I agree.

 

Then move to an area with better public transportation options.  Now, there!  he he he he

http://www.heightsobserver.org/read/1/7/residents-prefer-avenue-to-boulevard-for-cedarfairmount

 

Residents prefer avenue to boulevard for Cedar-Fairmount

by Deanna Bremer Fisher

 

Option B would expand the sidewalks on the north and south sides of Cedar Road, creating the feeling of a grand avenue and enhancing pedestrian safety.

ODOT one year from completing massive I-80-Meander project

A spill-contaminant system will be installed for the bridges over the reservoir.

By Elise Franco, Vindy, November 1, 2008

 

AUSTINTOWN — One of the largest Ohio Department of Transportation projects in the state is just about one year from completion.

 

The widening and reconstructing of Interstate 80 to six lanes, from the Ohio Turnpike to the I-80/state Route 11 interchange, began in April 2006, said Justin Chesnic, public information specialist for ODOT District IV.

Can't wait until that project is done! I swear they've been working in that area for at least 7 years.

Diverging diamond interchange plan in works for I-480 at Tiedeman

Posted by Karen Farkas/Plain Dealer Reporter November 07, 2008 00:15AM

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

 

Leave it to Brooklyn -- the first city in the United States to pass cell-phone and seat-belt laws -- to find a radical way to reduce traffic congestion.

 

Officials plan to build a diverging diamond interchange at the Interstate 480 exit to Tiedeman Road. The design, now found only in France, switches traffic to the opposite side of the road as it passes over the freeway.

 

Post edited 9-4-09 to comply with terms of use

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQsM7lzhx1s#

 

Well, if they can clearly mark where to go it sounds like an interesting idea. I'm guessing the accident rate will go up for the first couple months as people ignore the signs though.

True. Just like with the roundabout by SYC. But i the long run it will be an improvement.

A few years ago, did they have a similar (or at least just as radical) proposal for that interchange?  I seem to remeber another idea, but I thought it somehow involved just one light in the middle of the bridge...I'm getting old.

As for the vortex of death at SYC, some drivers still can't follow simple green road signs.  This new format better be well signed, not just lined.  We tend to get snow around here.

Very interesting idea.  As construction and material costs continue to rise it is interesting to see some of the cost effective methods of reducing congestion and improving traffic flow.  Efficiency is now King.

Alternatives studied included upgrading the existing diamond interchange or installing a single point urban interchange such as the one at Sawmill/I-270 in Columbus:

 

That's the one, thanks buckeye1.

i've driven thru these in france. it's a little different, but nothing too hard to adjust too. i can't really say if it improves flow, seemed about the same to me.

New interchange could open early

By Rick Armon, Beacon Journal, November 24, 2008

 

The new Interstate 271-state Route 8 interchange might open next year months ahead of schedule.

 

Beaver Excavating Co. of Canton, the lead contractor on the $120 million project, hopes to open all lanes and bridges for the revamped interchange in August, well in advance of the scheduled November opening.

 

''We went in there and hit it hard to start out with,'' said Jack Ford, company vice president of heavy and highway. ''I take my hat off to the guys on the project.''

 

The original completion date was in the summer of 2010. The Ohio Department of Transportation adjusted that to November 2009 and has offered Beaver Excavating a financial incentive to complete the project even earlier. The company can receive a bonus of up to $750,000 for finishing early.

 

...

 

For more on the Route 8 corridor project, go to http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/d04/ and click on the Route 8 icon.

Our neighboring states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois -- invest $42.38 per capita on public transit, compared to Ohio’s $1.43.

 

OK -- so are our taxes per capita that much lower in Ohio (which should be attracting many more jobs to Ohio vs. our neighbors, right?), or where is Ohio spending money that our neighbors are not??

 

 

 

Freeway widening projects. i.e. I-71. That s**t makes me mad. what an utter waste. I also am amazed how they have constructed sound barrier walls for housing developments on former farm land. Why the F*@k should we have to pay for that? Those people knew they were buying a new home next to an interstate. Then they bitch about highway noise, so ODOT builds them a friggin wall. WTF!!

Our neighboring states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois -- invest $42.38 per capita on public transit, compared to Ohio%u2019s $1.43.

 

OK -- so are our taxes per capita that much lower in Ohio (which should be attracting many more jobs to Ohio vs. our neighbors, right?), or where is Ohio spending money that our neighbors are not??

 

 

 

Freeway widening projects. i.e. I-71. That s**t makes me mad. what an utter waste. I also am amazed how they have constructed sound barrier walls for housing developments on former farm land. Why the F*@k should we have to pay for that? Those people knew they were buying a new home next to an interstate. Then they bitch about highway noise, so ODOT builds them a friggin wall. WTF!!

 

Gavster.  I hear you and feel your pain.  But, don't blow a gasket over there buddy!  Inhale...hold...now exhale.  Now repeat.

^Where on 71?  I know 77 is having it done.

I always assumed that highway sound walls were constructed to either increase or maintain property values thereby increasing or protecting property tax revenues.  I always thought that they did a simple analysis to see if the cost of the project was worth the tax revenue they were gaining/saving.  Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

^Where on 71? I know 77 is having it done.

 

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/1998/06/08/story1.html

 

http://www.flexiblepavements.org/awards.cfm?award_ID=130

 

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/09/04/loc_businesses_feeling.html

I always assumed that highway sound walls were constructed to either increase or maintain property values thereby increasing or protecting property tax revenues. I always thought that they did a simple analysis to see if the cost of the project was worth the tax revenue they were gaining/saving. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Hootenany: There are two categories of noise wall programs. The first has to do with road widening -- federal guidelines and case law requires noise studies and predictive modeling to determine if there will be an increase in highway noise due to a road project (especially a lane addition). If so, the agency receiving federal-aid highway funds is required to install noise walls as part of the project. The second category of program is the so-called "retrofit" program, which is at the discretion of ODOT. Retrofit noise walls are installed where there was pre-existing housing development but the highway project (notably interstate construction in the 50s, 60s, and 70s) didn't mitigate noise impacts. Retrofit projects are generally driven by residents who do not like the view/sound of the freeway in their backyard (who can blame them, even though it was probably there when they purchased the property). There is a long list of "needs" for retrofit noise walls based on sound measurements taken by ODOT, but relatively little money available annually to fund them (~$10 million). ODOT tried to drop its retrofit noise wall program a few years ago but their was strong pushback from the General Assembly, so they had to keep it.

^Thank you!

Perusing on the website www.downtownakron.com I noticed a map detailing the skywalks interlinking throughout Akron.  I think the skywalk system is mainly complete.  They're relatively expensive to build and I haven't heard of any interest to build more.  The map doesn't include outside of immediate downtown of Akron Children's Hospital skywalks or all of Akron General Medical Center's campus.

I think the towpath is the focus of alternative transportation dollars at this point.

 

http://downtownakron.com/pdfs/Skywalk3-%2007.pdf

The map seems to have been moved to http://downtownakron.com/downtown_maps/elements/skywalk.pdf in case anyone is looking for it.

Full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/06akron.html?ref=global-home

 

Soul-Searching in Akron, Ohio, Over Stimulus Use

 

By MICHAEL COOPER

Published: May 5, 2009

 

AKRON, Ohio — Its official name, the one on maps and signs, is the All-America Bridge. Most people here call it the Y Bridge, though, for the way it forks as it enters downtown. But so many people have jumped off since it was built 28 years ago that it sometimes goes by a less-welcome nickname: the Suicide Bridge.

 

Now the City of Akron has decided to do something about it, and it is tapping an unusual source: the federal stimulus money. Ohio plans to use more than a million dollars of it to build a fence to keep people from jumping to their deaths in the Little Cuyahoga River valley below.

 

In doing so, the city has prompted a sometimes emotional conversation about suicide and mental illness, government spending, and Akron’s image and future as it continues to remake itself and adjust to a new economy without the thousands of tire manufacturing jobs that once led people to call this the Rubber Capital of the World.

 

There has already been one suicide off the bridge this year, and there have been 28 since 1997, according to the Summit County medical examiner’s office. The police are called to the bridge to try to save would-be jumpers roughly once a week.

 

Yeah,  that will be a great use of stimulus money!