CLEVELAND — A plan is moving forward for a pedestrian land bridge over the Shoreway connecting downtown to the North Coast Harbor area.
Members of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency met on Friday and they’re now in the early stages of going over at least five proposals for the area that includes First Energy Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Voinovich Park.
NOACA wants the city of Cleveland to add to two more versions for analysis. The Ohio Department of Transportation, City of Cleveland and Haslam Sports Group have helped fund the study by providing the $5 million to get the planning and engineering started.
“The NOACA board agrees that a change in connecting downtown Cleveland to the lakefront is an extreme priority for the region. We just do have to think about it regionally,” said Executive Director and CEO Grace Gallucci. “We have to study alternatives that makes sense. And if we study them now, it will allow the project to move forward, I think, in a faster way.”
NOACA believes the bridge would support downtown’s economy by making it easier for people and visitors to navigate. The agency is asking the city to hold public meetings to generate feedback from the public on the plan.
“This is a tremendous once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconnect our downtown neighborhood with our lakefront neighborhood,” said councilman Kerry McCormack.
The five plans that have already been proposed include variations of extending Mall C north, which would require either removing or redesigning the Shoreway, to widening the East 9th street bridge. NOACA is also considering the impacts any project would have on commuters who utilize Route 2 and the impact on shipping access and the Port of Cleveland.
“I am basically in favor of conductivity. But I am not in favor of leading State Route 2 into (the city) and creating a bunch of local street connections and so forth, because that's going to be a really big mess,” said Lake County Engineer James Gills. “A lot of people come to Lake County from the West Side and enjoy our facilities. So, I for one, don't think it's a very good idea to eliminate State Route 2 by making a bunch of local streets.”
Because of the variations in the plans, NOACA wants to analyze how a bridge would impact all forms of travel, including cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and transit.
Estimates show the bridge would cost roughly $230 million to build. As of now, there are no meetings planned for public input.
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ODOT to fund $2.5 million for early-stage planning of proposed land bridge to North Coast Harbor
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City of Cleveland requests funding for land bridge design connecting downtown to lakefront
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