Update 2/6/2010:  U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich sends letter to FHWA administrator demanding multipurpose path be added to bridge project

Open minds and open access:
A new bridge for all

Local designers and members of the bike community have created a drawing showing the potential for bike and pedestrian accommodation as part of the new bridge:

Timeline

• 2009
  • December 2009 - ODOT bid package released
• 2010
  • February 2, 2010 - ODOT to release RFQ
  • March 2, 2010 - RFQ submissions due
  • May 2010 - Selection of 3 design finalists
  • August 2010 - Bridge designs due, selection process
• 2011
  • Construction begins

Image Gallery

Explore images of what the new Innerbelt bridge can be, photos of existing conditions, and ODOT's proposed bike accomodation on local streets. Innerbelt image gallery.

Reasons to support biking and walking options

• Improved health and fitness
  A walking and biking transportation infrastructure is a practical way for many to achieve recommended levels of physical activity. Modest increases in bicycling and walking for short trips could provide enough exercise for 50 million inactive Americans to meet recommended activity levels, reducing America's activity deficit.
• Reducing transportation costs to ease household budgets
  For most Americans, transportation is an expense second only to housing (higher than health care, education and food).
  • Even before runaway gas prices, the average American spends 19% of their income on transportation, with households that heavily rely on cars for transportation spending 50% or more.
  • Based on AAA reports of typical transportation costs 56.1 cents/ mile and $5 daily parking, typical car commuter costs are more than $11,500/year.
  • NEO combined household + transportation expenses (location efficiency) are out of line with other regions. Cleveland proper is one area where the ratio is better, due to public transit accessibility, and walkable and bikable communities. See CNT Housing and Transportation Index.
• Equity - See map of Cleveland households without cars
  Overall, 25% of Cleveland households do not own a car (46,841 households, 114,292 individuals)
  • 30% of Tremont households do not own a car (962 households, 2347 individuals)
  • 65% of Central households do not own a car (2934 households, 7159 individuals)
  • 42% of Downtown households do not own a car (1126 households, 2747 individuals)
• Proactive response to climate change
  Multiple organizations, including recent Lancet coverage, have found important health gains and reductions in CO2 emissions can be achieved through replacement of urban trips in private motor vehicles with active travel in high-income and middle-income countries. In addition:
  • NOACA's long range transportation plan identifes reducing vehicle miles travelled and increasing mode splits as plan goals;
  • The Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Transportation work group has identified complete streets and mode shifts as two goals; and
  • GCBL's transportation climate change transition plan identifies increased biking, walking and public transit use as viable responses to climate change.
• Done as a matter of course in other states
  At least 30 communities benefit from cycling and pedestrian access to an interstate highway bridge. In many cases, these are dramatic and beautiful shared spaces that enhance the city’s life.
• Proposed "alternatives" don't work
  There are 2 other primary ways to get downtown on bike or foot. However, each of these existing options (even if enhanced and improved) has serious setbacks - including safety, distance, time and elevation changes. We don't ask cars to go a 1/2 mile out of the way, why should we ask a bicyclist or pedestrian to do the same?
• Financial sense.
  Bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on the Innerbelt Bridge makes financial sense. During development of bridge options, ODOT posted acceptable cost ranges for a variety of bridge options, yet successful cyclist and pedestrian accommodation was already acknowledged to be well below these acceptable cost ranges. Nevertheless, ODOT still says "no," without any explanation or analysis. Here is a quick analysis:
  • In the immediate neighborhoods on Tremont, Central and Downtown, over 5,022 households and 12,254 individuals have no vehicle available.
  • A recent NOACA traffic count on the Innerbelt Bridge calculated 130,930 vehicles - total, traveling in both directions
  • 12,254 individuals without car / 130,930 cars = 9.4%. A fair starting point for ODOT accomodation of bikes and pedestrians might be 9.4% of the project budget (and probably significantly higher, as the traffic count records single automobiles that travel over the bridge twice - once into downtown, and once out of downtown)
  • ODOT's own back-of-the-envelope estimate to accommodate bikes was 20 million dollars, or roughly 4% of the project budget. Although ODOT has not released the details of its calculation, it appears to be based on typical highway bridge construction costs per square foot - and thus is probably inflated, as a bike and pedestrian accommodation will not need to be engineered to the same weight specifications. A more realistic number might be 10 or 12 million - or 2% of the project budget.
• One size fits all highway approach doesn't work in cities
  
• Tourism, views and connectivity
  A bike/walk path on the Innerbelt Bridge will provide NE Ohio residents with a dramatic, beautiful, healthy and practical connection to downtown Cleveland. Whether they bike, walk or drive, the bridge should be available for all Cleveland residents, not just those driving to or through downtown Cleveland.
• Leverage Towpath Trail investments
  Bridge access is a great way to leverage the Towpath Trail investments and share downtown. It’s a sound investment with a terrific health and environmental return for the community, offering a big impact for modest investment.
• Oft cited concerns of safety and snow can be overcome
  Safety is a foremost priority. ODOT's proposed bike and pedestrian routing will increase the numbers of bicycles and pedestrians through The Flats or onto Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, neither of which is ideal from a safety or snow perspective. A well designed and integrated bike and pedestrian path can overcome safety and snow objections - through large break down lanes, setbacks, cement and fence barriers. 30 other communities have "figured it out" and successfully integrated bike and pedestrian access with automobile access. So can Cleveland. Similarly, bike and pedestrian paths already exist and are being built in places which receive snow
  - Boston, Chicago, Minnesota, Sweden, to name a few. If these regions can figure it out, so can Cleveland.

ODOT's proposed alternative

• Presentation to NOACA TAC from December 15, 2006

How you can help

Update:  Thanks to the hundreds of emails, calls, letters and public testimony at meetings over the past few months, bike and pedestrian access on the new Innerbelt Bridge is gaining momentum.  The Cleveland City Planning Commission and Mayor Frank Jackson both have put their support behind accommodating bike and pedestrians on the bridge.  See the list of supporters below, and help us contact additional decision makers that can help make this a reality.

• Connect with the "Innerbelt Bridge access for everyone" Facebook page
• Attend an upcoming meeting:
  • Friday, February 5, 2010: City Planning Commission meeting (9am, City Hall, Room 514)
    • ODOT representatives are attending to address concerns and to begin dialogue on accommodating bikes and pedestrians
• Have your organization officially endorse the project
  • Contact us if your organization is interested in joining the 30+ organizations (and growing!) that have officially endorsed the project or if you would like a presentation on why your organization should consider endorsing this important project.
  • Download a short PowerPoint presentation explaining the project (PDF, 1.5 mb)
• Contact a decision maker and let them know you support bike and pedestrian access on the new Innerbelt Bridge 
  • Send an email to bridge@greencitybluelake.org and we will forward your comments to the decision makers (to get started, download this sample letter of support)
  • Write or email a letter to the editor
    • Letters@plaind.com
  • Email, call or write ODOT District 12
    • Bonnie Teeuwen, District 12 Deputy Director
      5500 Transportation Blvd.
      Garfield Heights, OH 44125
      Phone: (216) 584-2000
      Email: bonnie.teeuwen@dot.state.oh.us
  • Email, call or write ODOT State Headquarters
    • Jolene Molitoris, Director
      1980 West Broad Street
      Columbus Ohio, 43223
      Phone: (614) 466-2336
  • Email, call or write Governor Ted Strickland
  • Email, call or write your U.S. Reprensentatives
    • Senator George Voinovich
      1240 East Ninth Street
      Room 3061
      Cleveland, OH 44199
      Phone: (216) 522-7095
                    (202) 224-3353 - DC Office
      Email Senator Voinovich (web form)
    • Senator Sherrod Brown
      1301 East Ninth Street
      Suite 1710
      Cleveland, OH 44114
      Phone: (216) 522-7272
                    (202) 224-2315 - DC Office
      Fax: (216) 522-2239
      Email Senator Brown (web form)
    • Representative Marcia Fudge (bridge is in her district)
      4834 Richmond Road
      Suite 150
      Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
      Phone: (216) 522-4900
      Fax: (216) 522-4908
      Email Representative Fudge (web form)
    • Representative Dennis Kucinich (already supports - thank him for his leadership on this issue)
      14400 Detroit Avenue
      Lakewood, OH 44107
      Phone: (216) 228-8850
      Email Representative Kucinich thanking him for his support
       
    • Representative Tim Ryan
      197 West Market Street
      Warren, OH 44481
      Phone: (330) 373-0074
                    (202) 225-5261 - DC Office
      Fax: 330-373-0098
      Email Representative Ryan (web form)
    • Representative Betty Sutton
      39 East Market Street, LL #1
      Akron, OH 44308
      Phone: (330) 865-8450
                    (202) 225-3401 - DC Office
      Fax: (330) 865-8470
      Email Representative Sutton (web form)
  • Email, call or write State Representatives
    • State Representative Robin Belcher (east side of bridge)
    • State Representative Michael Skindell (west side of bridge)
  • Support printing, mailing and other costs associated with this advocacy effort
    • Mail a check made out to Cleveland Museum of Natural History, with GreenCityBlueLake Institute (Innerbelt) in the memo line to:
      1 Wade Oval
      Cleveland, OH 44106
    • Contribute online and select "GreenCityBlueLake Institute"
      http://www.cmnh.org/product/donation/donatenow.aspx

Letters of support (and endorsements)

• Cleveland City Planning Commission resolution in support of integrating bike and pedestrian access as part of official ODOT design alternatives for new bridge. (Januray 22, 2010)
• Phoenix Coffee, MossMedia LLC, LNE Group (Jan 2010)
• Emailed letters of support (sent to bridge@greencitybluelake.org through January 28, 2010) 
• "Plans for Inner Belt Bridge should include access for cyclists, pedestrians," Letter to the Plain Dealer Editor by Mark Timieski (Jan. 1, 2010) 
• 2019 Sustainable Transportation Action Team (2019 STAT) votes to support inclusion of bike and pedestrian access on new Innerbelt Bridge, asks for Mayor Frank Jackson's public endrosement of project (Dec. 17, 2009)
• 50+ letters of support distributed to NOACA board members (Dec. 11, 2009) 
• Chris Ronayne, President, University Circle Inc., letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Dan T. Moore, Wendy Park Foundation, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Marie Kettridge, Executive Director, Slavic Village Development, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Carol Fredrich, Executive Director, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009)
• Scott Cowan, owner, Century Cyles, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009)
• Rev. Catherine Rolling, United Church of Christ, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Ryan McKenzie, founder and president, CityWheels, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009)
• Lois Moss, founder, Walk+ Roll Cleveland, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Linda Robson, Case Western Reserve University, letter of support (Dec. 10, 2009) 
• Mark McDermott, VP Ohio Impact Market, Enterprise Community Partners, letter of support (Dec. 9, 2009) 
• Cleveland Bikes, letter in support (Dec. 9, 2009)
• Rev. Allen V. Harris, letter to the editor, Cleveland Plain Dealer (Dec. 9, 2009)
• Kevin Cronin, Attorney, letter in support (Dec. 9, 2009)
• Andy Clarke, president, League of American Bicyclists, letter of support. (Dec. 8, 2009)
• Mike Neundorfer, president, Neundorfer Particulate Knowledge, letter of support (Dec. 8, 2009)
• 43 citizen letters written at the public rally on December 6, 2009.
• Letter from Chris Bongorno
• Letter from Joe Hannibal
• Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-10) letter of support to Governor Strickland, Director Molitoris, and Craig Hebebrand. (Dec. 6, 2009)
• Mike Farley, letter posted on CAMBA (Jan. 5, 2007)
• David Beach letter to ODOT (Sept. 28, 2006)

GreenCityBlueLake Innerbelt project coverage

• After ODOT's no, we see a creative future of 'how' - Marc Lefkowitz blog post, February 5, 2010
• City Planning throws weight behind open access for Innerbelt Bridge - Marc Lefkowitz blog post, January 22, 2010
• Rally for bike and pedestrian path on bridge draws big crowd - Marc Lefkowitz blog post, Dec. 7, 2009.
• Open minds and open access: Designs for better Innerbelt Bridge - Marc Lefkowitz blog post, Nov. 30, 2009
• Fighting to make the Innerbelt Bridge a Complete Street - Nov. 2009
• What the Innerbelt Bridge can be - Marc Lefkowitz blog post, Nov. 5, 2009
• Innerbelt might enhance if it doesn't choke off city - January 2007
• Bike and pedestrian path on Innerbelt Bridge - Transportation>Bikes
  We've been covering the Innerbelt project, including the bridge reconstruction since 2004. See letters, testimony and advocacy that has occured on the project to date.
• Innerbelt images and photos
  Explore photos and images of current conditions, buildings to be torn down, and proposed bicycle and pedestrian accomodation

Recent press coverage

• "U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants multipurpose lane on new Inner Belt Bridge," Karan Farkas, The Plain Dealer, February 6, 2010. 
• "Bridges are for people too," Frank Lewis, Cleveland Scene, February 4, 2010.
• Access for Everyone, WCPN 90.3 Sound of Ideas radio broadcast, January 29, 2010.
• Feagler & Friends (S14:04), WVIZ television broadcase interviewing ODOT District 12 director on allowing bikes and pedestrians on new bridge, January 22, 2010. 
• "Ohio Department of Transportation officials designing Cleveland's new Inner Belt Bridge also need to consider those who might like to bike or walk across it," The Plain Dealer Editorial Board, December 12, 2009.
• "Cleveland Bikers to ODOT: 'Let us cross the bridge'", Sarah Goodyear, Streetsblog (DC, NYC, LA), December 8, 2009.
• "As the Crow Rides: Cleveland's Cyclists Rally for I-90 Bridge Path," Rustwire, December 8, 2009.
• "Dennis Kucinich sends letter to Ted Strickland in favor of a bike-pedestrian lane on the I-90 Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland," Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer, December 7, 2009.
• "Cleveland bike activists plan rally Sunday Dec. 6 in favor of bike lanes for I-90 Innerbelt Bridge," Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer, December 5, 2009.
• "Scene and Heard: A Bridge Plan to Far," Cleveland Scene, December 2, 2009.
• "Advocates for Sustainable Urbanism Fight for Bike Lanes," EcoWatch Journal, December 2009 - January 2010.
• "Rally for Bikes and Pedestrian Pathway on New Innerbelt Bridge," Inside Tremont, Vol. 24, Issue 11, December 2009.
• "Advocates of a bike lane on the new Innerbelt Bridge should find their own engineer and draw up a proposal," Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer, November 11, 2009.

Learn more about the project

For nearly ten years, the Ohio Department of Transportation has been planning the biggest and most expensive road repair project in our region’s history -- the reconstruction of the Innerbelt where Interstates 90, 71, and 77 connect and pass through downtown Cleveland.

More than $1 billion could be spent on this project, yet many questions remain about the impact of this investment on the long-term health of the city. For example:

• Will plans to smooth out traffic flows on the Innerbelt make the city more livable and more economically competitive, or will they simply ease traffic away from downtown?
• Will the urban scars created years ago when the highways slashed through the city be healed and capped over with new parks and development sites (i.e. High Street's cap over I-670 in Columbus)?
• With creative engineering, can the old Central Viaduct Bridge be replaced by a single signature bridge that doesn't negatively impact Tremont?
• How does the $1 billion investment in road work relate to the city's larger goals for increased housing opportunities downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods?

Other Resources

• ODOT communications with FHWA, city and county officials from 2005 and 2006, discussing problems with project and including bike and pedestrian path (Agreement No. 12584, PID No. 77510, FHWA ref: HEO-OH)
• Read EcoCity Cleveland's letter to ODOT Re: Draft Environmental Study, Cleveland Innerbelt (2-28-07)
• Cleveland City Council weighs costs and benefits of Innerbelt Project (1-10-07)
• Save Our Access website