EcoCity Cleveland | Transportation Choices

EcoCity transportation program manager Ryan McKenzie provides news and commentary on what's happening to improve transportation choices in Northeast Ohio and at state & national levels. Get updates on road policies, transit, bicycling, walking, freight, and other transport-related topics, all viewed from EcoCity's sustainability perspective.

Thinking BIG for a new Innerbelt bridge

When the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission blog recently highlighted an article on the "Third golden age of bridge building" by Wired magazine, its editors had a specific local application in mind. CPC director Paul Alsenas has promoted study of an entirely new span to replace the aging Innerbelt bridge during ODOT's massive Innerbelt reconstruction study.
In December, the County published a slideshow promoting an "iconic Innerbelt bridge design" , citing benefits to the region's image, downtown traffic flow, and downtown redevelopment.

Ken Prendergast of the Ohio Corridors Campaign suggests that if the bridge alignment were changed "the entire area of land opened up for redevelopment... is roughly three times the size of the Gateway Complex. That's 4 to 6 million square feet with a conservative land value of $150 million." Prendergast suggests that revenue from land leases could be used to offset the addtitional costs of new bridge construction and associated land development.
For a PDF with maps and details, click here.

Don't think great bridge design can happen in Ohio? Look no farther than Toledo, where the I-280 Maumee River Crossing Main Span is under construction. The $220 million Cable Stayed "Signature Bridge" over the Maumee River is the largest single project in ODOT history.
Whatever happens with the Innerbelt bridge, EcoCity urges ODOT to add a walk/bike path connecting Tremont and points south directly with Jacobs Field.

1/10/2005