HARMFUL IMPACT ON CLEVELAND
OF ODOT’S INNERBELT RECONSTRUCTION PLANS

Announced Plan (November 2005)

  1. Remove Carnegie Avenue exit (eastbound)
  2. Close Prospect Avenue entrances and exits
  3. Close current Chester Avenue exit (westbound); westbound traffic required to exit at Payne Avenue (next available westbound exit at W. 14th Street in Tremont); modify current Chester Avenue entrance westbound
  4. Close Chester Avenue eastbound entrance; move Innerbelt entrance to Payne Avenue
  5. Construct marginal roads to replace direct Innerbelt access at Chester and Prospect Avenues (requires shifting the Innerbelt roadway alignment to the east and taking of properties)
  6. Remove Broadway Avenue exit (eastbound); redirecting traffic to E. 22nd Street

Revised Plan (privately circulated in February 2006; modifies November 2005 plan)

  1. Remove Carnegie Avenue exit (eastbound)
  2. Close Prospect Avenue entrances and exits
  3. Close Payne Avenue entrances and exits proposed in November 2005
  4. Modify current Chester Avenue entrances and exits
  5. Realign and extend marginal road system from Chester to Cedar Avenue; still requires shifting of the Innerbelt roadway alignment to the east and taking of 19 properties.
  6. Remove Broadway Avenue exit (eastbound), redirecting traffic to E. 22nd Street

Major Concerns

  1. Access to vital community institutions, businesses and residences significantly restricted
  2. Numerous businesses taken, a minimum of 300 employees displaced
  3. Losses in city income tax revenue and property taxes for schools by displacing viable businesses to make way for new roadway infrastructure.
  4. Lost economic development opportunities
  5. Dramatically shifting high volumes of traffic and potential accidents to city surface streets, especially East 22nd Street and Chester Avenue
  6. No credible economic impact study conducted or released based on proposed alternative
  7. Continually shifting plans - without community involvement or opportunity to analyze impact

Action Requested

  • Convene a new series of Innerbelt Trench working meetings over a 60 day period to identify a design alternative that specially addresses the outstanding issues and achieves an improved Innerbelt without such widespread economic and community damage.