On September 11, 2009 the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2009-026 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2009-026 Plan and TIP Amendment Title: Rehabilitate and Replace Approach Concrete Retaining Walls in Cleveland Sponsor: City of Cleveland PID No: 86253 Estimated Total Cost: $4,950,000 Proposed Source of Federal Funds: NOACA History/Background: On March 16, 2009, the City of Cleveland passed Ordinance No. 319-09, “Authorizing the Director of Public Service to apply to NOACA for various infrastructure projects throughout the City and accept eligible funding.” Ordinance No. 319-09 also authorizes the Director of Public Service to “apply to NOACA to pursue federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) economic assistance , on behalf of the City of Cleveland, for . . . the rehabilitation and replacement of concrete retaining walls at Norfolk and Southern railroad bridge over Madison Avenue and CSX railroad bridge over Nottingham Road, in the approximate amount of $5,000,000.” Current Conditions: Madison Avenue is functionally classified as an urban collector and travels under City Bridge No. 4:551R, (Structure File No. 1869884) (location map) (aerial photo). Madison Avenue is a two-lane facility with a pavement width of 40 feet. The average daily traffic (ADT) varies from 10,155 to 12,850 vehicles per day (NOACA Cuyahoga County Highway Traffic Counts, published December 2004). The sponsor reports that the Madison Avenue concrete approach walls, built in 1913, are in critical condition and that sidewalks are closed. The walls, located adjacent to the sidewalks, at full height, retain 22 feet of earth. Existing businesses are located adjacent to this roadway underpass. According to the sponsor, replacing and rehabilitating the approach walls is necessary to maintain safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian traffic on this arterial. The southwest approach wall is 182 feet with 1,072 square feet of exposed face. The southeast approach wall is 520 feet with 6,240 square feet of exposed face. The northeast approach wall is 287 feet with 3,588 square feet of exposed face. The walls vary in height from 2 feet to 22 feet at the overpass. East 185th Street is functionally classified as an urban minor arterial and travels under City Bridge No. 4:556R, (Structure File No. 1840371) (location map). (aerial Photo) . East 185th Street is a two-lane facility with a pavement width of 40 feet. The average daily traffic (ADT) is 17,200 vehicles per day (NOACA Cuyahoga County Highway Traffic Counts, published December 2004). East 185th Street is renamed Nottingham Road at the St. Clair Avenue intersection. The sponsor reports that the Nottingham Rd/East 185th Street concrete approach walls, built in 1903, are in serious condition. The walls, located adjacent to East 185th Street sidewalks, retain Nottingham Road. At full height the walls are 16 feet high. Nottingham Road runs parallel to East 185th Street and becomes grade separated at the railroad bridge. Nottingham Road is an access road for businesses from St. Clair Avenue. These businesses are landlocked by businesses fronting on St. Clair Avenue to the south and CSX railroad to the north. The southeast approach wall is 282 feet with 2,540 square feet of exposed face. The northeast approach wall is 150 feet with 1,350 square feet of exposed face. The wall’s height varies from 2 feet to 16 feet of exposed face at the overpass. Proposed Project: The proposed project involves removal, replacement and rehabilitation of the existing approach concrete retaining walls to Norfolk and Southern Railroad Bridge, over Madison Avenue, and the CSX Railroad Bridge over Nottingham Road/East 185th Street. According to the sponsor, sixty percent of the wall area related to Madison Avenue requires removal and replacement. The remaining 40 percent will be rehabilitated with Item 519 Patching Concrete structures (full depth and partial depth). The approximate length of the Madison Avenue project is 1,200 feet. With respect to Nottingham Rd/East 185th Street, the southeast wall and 50 percent of the northeast wall require replacement. The remaining 50 percent of the northeast approach wall will be rehabilitated with Item 519 Patching Concrete structures (full depth and partial depth). The approximate length of the Nottingham Rd/East 185th Street project is 700 feet. The estimated total cost, provided by the sponsor, is $4,950,000. The estimated cost of preliminary engineering (PE) is $384,000. The estimated cost of right-of-way (RW) is $50,000. The estimated cost of construction is $4,516,000. The sponsor requests that eighty percent ($3,612,800) of the construction cost be funded with NOACA-administered Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds. The City of Cleveland intends to provide the non-federal share of construction ($903,200). The PE and RW costs will be borne by the sponsor. The sponsor estimates construction can begin June 2010. Staff Comment (Summary): Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: This project is consistent with NOACA’s Connections 2030 Goal # 3 (Preserve and Improve the Efficiency of the Transportation System) and #7 (Reinvestment in the Urban Core), and ODOT’s Access Ohio 2004 - 2030 Goals #1 (Transportation Safety) and #4 (System Preservation). The proposed project is also listed in NOACA’s Tier 2 list of projects for funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. If ARRA funding is not available, the sponsor will pursue NOACA STP funds. The sponsor should review the cost estimate at significant review stages of project design development. Recommend committee and public review in order to obtain comments. Regional Transportation System (RTS) Team: One of the two bridges is CSX Railroad Bridge over Nottingham Road/East 185th Street. If the retaining wall replacement could be completed in such a manner as to make the roadway lower, this could possibly remove a bottleneck for freight. Before that could be completely true, the bridge clearance for the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge over East 185th Street would also need to be investigated. This section of Madison Avenue under the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge carries a total of 57 GCRTA average weekday buses from route number 25. The section of Nottingham Road/East 185th Street under the CSX Railroad Bridge carries a total of 53 GCRTA average weekday buses from route number 806. Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC): If you are a representative of a governmental entity and would like to comment on this project, please email us. Public Involvement: NOACA encourages comments from the public on this proposed transportation improvement project. Please notify us if you would like to be added to our e-mail notification list for future updates. Committee Review: Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): No comments; recommended for amendment to NOACA's Transportation Plan and TIP.