COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio House lawmakers exclusively told News 5 Tuesday that the long-awaited pedestrian land bridge to connect downtown Cleveland to Lake Erie would get $20 million in the proposed capital budget's one-time fund.
The one-time funds inside House Bill 2 would give millions for the Cleveland Municipal Land Bridge project, giving locals better access to the state's best asset — Lake Erie.
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In downtown, the Shoreway Highway, the railroads and bluffs separate the city and the water.
"If we can get to Lake Erie or the Browns Stadium or any of those other attractions in that vicinity, it's nice," Clevelander Connor Aten said.
He and his friend Nathan Wilkie say a land bridge could be a new way to get to games.
"I'm always excited to go to a Browns game," Wilkie said. "Its a Browns town."
The pedestrian bridge is a project that has been proposed for years. It would allow locals to safely travel across — and above — the rail tracks.
State lawmakers shared Tuesday they will be giving $20 million in funding to construct the pathway. The money comes from the one-time funding inside the capital budget bill. It came from the state's excess General Revenue Fund, a surplus in money coming from previous years.
This comes out of $42 million that Cuyahoga County is getting from this first aspect of the budget.
Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Grace Gallucci is thrilled.
"It's really to benefit people to improve their overall quality of life, but it will have definitely an impact on tourism," Gallucci said.
Wilkie, however, doesn't think he will use it.
"It's way more convenient to Uber or drive," he said.
Although Aten thinks it's helpful, he doesn’t like that the funding comes from taxpayer dollars.
"I'd rather see $20 million going to cleaning up the city or fixing the many potholes we see in the wintertime," Aten added.
There is plenty more to be done. The land bridge is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Gallucci responded that this is just the first step.
"Any funds that are being recognized for the project and set aside for the project is fantastic news," she said.
She and City of Cleveland spokesperson Tyler Sinclair are looking forward to moving forward.
“We are thankful for the discussions with House lawmakers, and we truly appreciate the support for the North Coast Connector and how it underscores the significance of the project as a catalyst for making the lakefront accessible for everyone, opening it up for development, and unleashing billions of dollars in economic activity,” Sinclair said. “We are hopeful this passes the House as the first step in the process.”
This will also help the Browns out since they have been asking for the bridge and other renovations for years. The lease at the former FirstEnergy Stadium is set to expire in 2028.
The Ohio Department of Transportation, the City of Cleveland and Haslam Sports Group, who own the Browns, have helped fund a study of proposals of downtown revitalization by providing the $5 million to get the planning and engineering started.
“A significant stadium renovation at our current site is the premise of the study as well as a focus on how to provide accessibility to the lakefront, drive density and create 365-destination major development opportunities that would include new public parks, retail, office, experiential and residential spaces,” The Haslam Sports Group said in 2022. “The vision, as many in our community have already seen, is centered on an extensive land bridge.”
The one-time funds are expected to be voted out of the House on Wednesday. It would then move to the Senate.
"As long as it doesn't just create a new bottleneck or junction where everyone's just trying to funnel through to get to the bridge, that's kind of a good idea," Aten said.
The rest of the capital budget will be announced at a later date; only some of it was released. News 5 will continue following and analyzing H.B. 2.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Watch our report on a previous proposal announcement, one that failed, last April:
RELATED: Proposal would grant Downtown Cleveland millions for land bridge, revitalization
