Final Opportunity to Comment on Innerbelt Bridge Aesthetic Details

Innerbelt Bridge Aesthetic Details Public Meeting Rescheduled for December 15 
Online Comment Period Extended through Wednesday 

CLEVELAND (2:36 PM, Monday, December 13, 2010) – Due to inclement weather, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has rescheduled tonight’s public meeting to present the public with the final aesthetic details to be applied to Cleveland’s new westbound Innerbelt Bridge.  Tonight’s meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pilgrim Church Fellowship Hall, 2592 W. 14th Street, Cleveland. 
  
The online comment period has also been extended until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15 to coincide with the rescheduled Public Meeting.  ODOT began seeking comments on its Web site on December 6.  Area residents are encouraged to log-on to Innerbelt.org to submit their preferences. 

Members of the public who visit the project Web site through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, or attend the Public Meeting, will be polled on very specific elements – including pier treatments, fence and lighting options, retaining wall materials and more – in order to determine a public preference for each specific element. 

Stakeholder groups, which include prominent local advocates, have met numerous times since the spring of 2006 in order to prescribe important aesthetic elements of the new bridge including scenic overlooks, open railings, new streetscapes and revamped overpasses and ramps.  The project also includes removing a portion of the Tremont bluff to increase stability and open additional green space adjacent to the river below. 

Public preferences will be presented to the City of Cleveland following Wednesday’s Public Meeting during a series of meetings.  Members of the public are also invited to attend special meetings of the Cleveland City Planning Commission on December 17 and January 7 in order to see the final choices.  Additional details will be forthcoming and made available on Innerbelt.org. 


Please see below: 

Meeting	Date & Time	Location
Public Meeting	December 13, 2010 5-8 p.m.	Pilgrim Church Fellowship Hall 2592 W. 14th Street
Cleveland City Planning Commission Meeting	December 17, 2010 9 a.m.-Noon	Cleveland Convention Center 500 Lakeside Avenue, Room 211

In September, the project was awarded to Walsh Construction and designer HNTB Ohio Inc. for a total bid amount of $287.4 million.  Using the unique design-build process in which the design and construction of the project are combined in a single contract, the team will complete substantial construction of the new westbound bridge during the fall of 2013 – nearly a year earlier than originally anticipated.
Construction is expected to begin during the spring of 2011.  Log-on to Innerbelt.org for more information.