Let’s just say it. ODOT has no balls. Cleveland is working hard to establish itself as a green city. Mayor Jackson has made a committment to being a Green City on a Blue Lake. While I think we should be moving a little faster on some things like curbside recycling and expanding the light rail system, it all takes money and we have a budget problem. We are not alone in this. I just read where Colorado Springs is laying off fire fighters and police, slashed all the parks budgets (asking residents to voluntarily mow green spaces), removing garbage cans from all city parks (replacing them with signs asking users to take their trash with them), turning off street lights, eliminating buses at night and on weekend, and eliminating watering programs for public spaces. While we could be in this dire situation, we are not. We have had to make some hard budgetary decisions, but doors won’t be closing on any museums or pools this year and the the parks will be open. So given the economic situation in town, I can accept some programs moving slower than I would want.
What I cannot accept is ODOT. We need a new bridge, that much is clear. It is obvious when they had to reroute all truck traffic last year that it is really only a matter of time before the whole damn thing falls down. When the bridge in Minneapolis had to be replaced, the city took a good look at its options and made choices that were crazy to some, genius to others. They added things that people hadn’t thought of to make the bridge lase longer and benefit the city in ways that were not even thought of. Crazy ideas like built in bridge monitors, self cleaning concrete, and solar powered street lights that are sculptural in design. They acted fast, built smart, and constructed this bridge to last a long time, while completing the structure months early to finish in only months.
ODOT, on the other hand held a public forum years ago right here in our own neighborhood. It was one of many asking residents what they wanted to see in the overall plan of a redesigned I-90 corridor, and they they didn’t listen. They didn’t listen to residents and citizens who wanted pedestrian and bike access. They didn’t listen when activist groups sent them petitions. They didn’t listen when rallies were held and marches organized. They didn’t listen to experts who built similar bridges in other states. They didn’t listen to the logic of increasing access of locals would encourage dense urban growth and cut down on congestion. They didn’t listen to the planning commission, to industrialists, or to Kent State’s Urban Design Collaborative. In short, they did not listen to the people who pay their salaries. Keep in mind that this is the same group that designed a freeway with a near 90 degree bend in it, aptly named DEAD MAN”S CURVE.
Bridges are made to last a long time. You only get one shot at it. It isn’t like we can remove the bridge in ten years and do it again. At this rate, we may still be working on this one. To really make change, you have to be bold and take some risks. You have to build for a future that is not here. ODOT is obviously not a progressive group that is thinking of the future. Rather than consider things like beauty, accessibility of the downtown, reduced long term congestion by encouraging dense urban growth, and what citizens want, they cite increased safety and maintenance concerns. It’s not like this is the first bridge of its kind. It has been done with success in other cities. Yet ODOT has refused to even entertain the idea. I am reminded of an architect working at a downtown firm who was designing a failed Lakewood project. His plan was to built the parking garage to overlook the Rocky River garage and put the bike lane running through that. His thought was that no one really rides bikes anyway. I would think that the new bike garage downtown would change the minds of people like this who are so out of touch with the people of this town. So I say, make some REAL change, be bold and build a great bridge that will serve everyone. But I don’t hold my breath, because I think ODOT has no balls. They are being led by a group of people who would drive 25 miles in the middle of summer to go to a gym to get on a stationery bike rather than get out in the sunshine in their own neighborhood, which is likely in the burbs. Or is there a little something under the table? Their concerns for maintenance and safety are valid if there is any evidence to cite. But I haven’t seen any.
