Page 46 - September2019_BarJournal

FEATURE EXTRA

CONNECTING CLEVELANDERS

TO THEIR LAKE

CONSIDERING IDEAS TO BRIDGE THE GAP

BY KEVIN CRONIN

nce again, Cleveland is de- attractions on the
bating its future, reviewing lake, the iconic Rock
options for the ever-elusive Hall, Science Center
goal of connecting people, and the home of the
OPublic Square and Lake revived (we are told)
Erie. During the 2014 redevelopment plan Cleveland Browns.
the City, County and corporate and down- Housing and shopping
town advocates developed a plan to redesign are being added north
Public Square, add improvements to make of the Stadium and the
the Mall more attractive and inviting and add massive Mather ore
a quarter-mile pedestrian bridge to link the ship may be reunited
lakefront at North Coast Harbor to the Mall. with some form of a
While Public Square was redesigned and Hulett crane, a massive
generated acclaim and the mall received im- engineering innovation
provements, the bridge project was dropped. in its day. However,
The bridge has emerged again as apriority, access remains cut off Architectural conception of the Harbor Land Bridge concept,
with some debate about the scope and by the railroad tracks adding a lawn and Mall D. (Source: Green Ribbon Coalition)
objectives: option one is an attractive, graceful and highway. The
bridge, a mix of tower and support cables; route to the lakefront could hardly be less safe land bridge, running from Mall C to the Rock
option two is a more expensive, broader and inviting, walking along East 9th or West 3rd Hall and Science Center, covering rail lines,
creation of a new public space, capping the Street. Overcoming barriers and uniting lakefront freeway and side streets with a grand lawn. The
highway with a lawn to create a new Mall D. attractions with downtown has been an elusive lawn would provide flexible options, ranging
Both plans will bring residents and visitors to goal for decades. Which way to go, Cleveland? from picnics and frisbee, to installation of
lakefront attractions, creating more inviting, One option would create a great lawn, a temporary art or large-scale art exhibits.
attractive routes for visitors and the growing cap for the highway and trains, Creating a The concept of a northern extension of
downtown population. Amidst the review, Mall D. The Green Ribbon Coalition, a group the Cleveland Mall 1903 Group Plan has
there is always a default option to do nothing. of lakefront advocates, architects and designers, been discussed for decades. The challenge
Cleveland has some top-notch entertainment has developed an ambitious option, creating a for planners remains how to overcome the
infrastructure separating Cleveland’s civic
center from its lakefront. The land bridge
plan follows those of several other cities —
Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia — who
are burying large infrastructure that denies
access, to connect their urban core with their
waterfronts. Philadelphia is using a cap to
evade the freeway that blocked access to its
Delaware River waterfront, creating an 11-
acre waterfront park, with recreational hiking
and biking trails, at a cost of $225 million.
Advocates note the Cleveland land bridge
concept would be smaller, and less expensive
than the Philadelphia plan, but costs could be
in the $100 million neighborhood. Cleveland
attorney and chairman of the Group Plan

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