CLEVELAND — News 5 continues to follow through on stories impacting your community.
We recently told you about the city's efforts to make Cleveland a 15-minute city.
RELATED: Cleveland wants to be a 15-minute city. Will adding a bikeway help?
The goal is easier travel for everyone, whether you're biking, walking or driving.
To make that goal a reality, the city is moving forward with plans to overhaul Superior Avenue as part of its Midway Project.
The plan involves the transformation of a busy stretch of Lorain Avenue in the heart of Ohio City.
It will include adding a partial bikeway there.
The city says the Lorain Midway is eco-friendly, will increase overall driver and pedestrian safety and benefit everyone.
It's not a done deal yet, as the city says they are still working to allocate funding for this portion of the project.
Business owners are eager and cautiously optimistic about its future.
Cleveland barbers Stew and Lou from Urban Kutz Barbershop say the community and dozens of nearby businesses have been buzzing and slightly concerned over the future Lorain Midway project.
"It's cold outside. You don't see people outside with a bike. We are gonna get snow. Not gonna see people riding bikes," Stew said.
"We already only have street parking," Lou said.
Once the city completes the $24.5 million Superior Midway, it will work to overhaul Lorain Avenue.
The Lorain Midway will stretch for 1.8 miles from West 20th Street, passing the West Side Market down to West 65th Street.
"Our city really isn't designed in terms of transportation for everyone. We know there's a lot of extra space on the roads," David Bass, Major Transportation Projects Coordinator for the City of Cleveland, said.
Crews plan to install a two-way bikeway on one side of the road.
They will add new pavement, curbs, sidewalks, driveway aprons, ADA-compliant ramps ,traffic signals and more.
The separated bikeway would be located next to the sidewalk with a buffer from car traffic.
"Any kind of improvements that allows for the community to be more active, more healthy lifestyle—I'm for it," Clevelander Nick Greene said.
Greene says the midway could benefit the community and bring more foot traffic in the warmer months.
But he's also considering the long-term impacts on hard-working small business owners and customers.
"In the short term, it might be difficult with parking. At the same time, I think the neighborhood is changing, and this is something that could benefit the people that have been here a long time," Greene said.
Stew says parking has been a nightmare,, and eliminating what they have on the street could harm the dozens of business owners in the area.
"Do it to the sidewalk and just leave the roads how it is. We are on Lorain, so it's already very limited parking," Stew said.
The city promises they are working through the process, and street parking will be available throughout the corridor.
They say Lorain Avenue already operates under capacity and adding the midway will help cut down on speeding and crashes.
They've also re-allocated roadway space for more than 40 new parking spaces, all while listening to business owners and residents.
"We understand their concerns and work with them to address them to the best of our ability--while still meeting the goals of the project. This is important in terms of safety and mobility," Bass said.
The city is still working on finding funding for this Lorain Midway Project.
There is no timeline for when this project will start.
Work on The Superior Midway is set to start in late 2025 and go through 2027.
