What could you do with hundreds of professionals in 220 hours? Apparently ODOT thinks between now and March 2, it’s not enough to amend electronic documents that can vastly improve the future for Greater Cleveland’s citizens. The documents, which include ODOT’s environmental impact statement, would allow thousands to choose to ride a bike or walk on the new Innerbelt Bridge and catch views of downtown on the way to an Indians game or to dinner in Tremont.
“When you design a bridge, you don’t design it just for cars you design it for people,” Cleveland Councilman Matt Zone told ODOT Innerbelt Project Manager Craig Hebebrand at today’s Cleveland Planning Commission. “Why should the citizens of Cleveland settle for second class? We should demand (a multi-use path on the bridge) from the design phase. We should demand something better. Let’s see what the prices come in. In Shanghai and in Portland they are designing bridges for people.”
Hebebrand said it’s too late from ODOT’s perspective to make any changes. “There’s no way to physically amend the documents to add the addendum in time.”
Planning Commission member Lillian Kuri, however, got Hebebrand to admit that there will be many addendums to the Environmental Impact Statement before the end. Adding an addendum to that EIS for a bike/ped multi-use path now should not be used an excuse, Kuri said.
Advocates agree, and we charge that we have 25 days, or 220 hours until ODOT’s imposed March 2 deadline. We also contend that where there’s a will, there’s a way. The comments from Councilman Matt Zone illustrate this sentiment; and given Hebebrand’s assertions, it is perhaps proof positive that the issue transcends ODOT and its usual bureaucracy, and so it’s time move up the chain of command.
“If there’s a need for $20 million, I certainly cannot promise it, but we can advocate for it because it’s needed,” said Martin Gelfand, Senior Counsel for Representative Dennis Kucinich. “With all due respect to ODOT, planning bridges in the 21st century is not the same as in the post war when the Innerbelt was built. We can call it the dinosaur era because we were so dependent on fossil fuels. I think we need to get out of that dinosaur era and bringing people back into downtown. So this signature bridge should include the cyclist and include the pedestrians. Don’t say no, say ‘how’.”
Kuri asked Gelfand and Rep. Kucinich to hold a meeting with ODOT and Planning Commission director Bob Brown, which Gelfand agreed to. Observers note that the meeting will be meaningless unless we figure out the explicit action that has to occur—an amendment or waiver to the EIS, which, by the way, happens frequently with cooperation from the right parties at Federal Highway Administration—and the right people have to be in the room to take that action.
“It’s now or never,” Kuri concluded.
Make it like Sydney
johnwirtz Says:A "hallmark" bridge could be a destination for people who want a great view of the skyline, the valley, and other bridges. It would be foolish not to make it accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.
Concerns raised by Peartreeohio
John McGovern Says:"Years later, it is drastically underutilized and came at great expense to the city in the form of construction, public art and design."
What is the proof of the bridge being 'drastically underutilized'?
By my estimation, there has been an increase in the number of cyclists using the Detroit-Superior Bridge. That being said, the implementation was botched due to an organized opposition from Trucking/Industry interests in the Flats. The sidewalk treatment applied to the north side was not applied to the south side. This botched implementation creates confusing traffic patterns and therefore unsafe conditions for cyclists.
"Who bikes or walks on the highway anyway?"
No one is proposing that we ask people to bike on the highway.
Rather, the idea is to create a separate path for both cyclists and pedestrians to access this bridge as a direct connection between Tremont and downtown. This is not a new untested idea. In fact, our neighbor Pittsburgh has already implemented similar infrastructure on two bridges.
If Cleveland is to compete for the types of citizens who flock to places like Minneapolis and Portland, we must begin to change how we build our transportation infrastructure.
Additional Comments
peartreeohio Says:You raise some good points, however my experience living downtown for 2 years and using the Detriot/Superior bridge to bike to West Side market was that I was always the only one on it. My primary point is that the pedestrian traffic while increased probably doesn't warrant the ROI in hindsight.
I like this concept philosophically but want to raise awareness to the balance of cost. With a shrinking city budget, I would be hesitant to add operating costs to accommodate what could be seen as a duplicate effort.
I think this should be part of some more clearly defined pedestrian friendly strategy. This project alone won't spark tremendous increase in biking downtown. Independent efforts at some point have to link to a broader goal of increasing pedestrian activity.
I'd be curious to see the foot traffic results for the bridges you mentioned in pburgh.
Pedestrian Access to Innerbelt Bridge
peartreeohio Says:Several years ago, the Detroit Road bridge was redesigned, eliminating traffic lanes to accommodate pedestrian friendly bikers, walkers and joggers. Years later, it is drastically underutilized and came at great expense to the city in the form of construction, public art and design. The Innerbelt highway should not waste time and effort incorporating pedestrian concepts. Who bikes or walks on the highway anyway? This is not a pedestrian friendly thoroughfare like Detroit Rd. We should instead focus on getting ODOT to spend appropriate financial resources on the design of the bridge which will surely be a hallmark of the downtown skyline this century. This is crazy.