On March 12, 2010 the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2010-008 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2010-009 Plan and TIP Amendment. Title: Reconstruct & Rehabilitate Columbus Road Lift Bridge Sponsor: Cuyahoga County Engineer PID No.: 5383 Estimated Total Cost: $42,000,000 Proposed Source of Federal Funds: NOACA History/Background: This project is currently portrayed in NOACA’s SFYs 2008 – 2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), dated May 11, 2007. On March 26, 2007 an emergency ordinance (No. 255-07) was passed giving consent of the City Council of Cleveland to the Board of County Commissioners of Cuyahoga County for the rehabilitation of the Columbus Road Lift Bridge over the Cuyahoga River, in the City of Cleveland. Current Conditions: Columbus Road is functionally classified as an urban collector and is a two-lane facility. The pavement width is 36 feet. The width of the bridge is 42 feet. The width of the existing right-of-way is 80 feet. The speed limit is 25 miles per hour. The average daily traffic on Columbus Road is 5,383 vehicles per day with 6 percent trucks (2008 count). The Columbus Road Lift Bridge serves as a connection between the central business district and the east bank of the Flats with the Ohio City neighborhood and the interstate system to the east (I-90/I-71), south (I-90) and north (SR-2/US-6/US-20). The bridge is located along an existing commercial/industrial district on the east bank of the Flats and is adjacent to many culturally rich neighborhoods. According to the sponsor, a study conducted in accordance with National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) revealed the bridge to be in poor condition (4-NBIS) overall. According to the sponsor, completion of the proposed project is vital to the continued economic growth and development of the east bank of the Flats. The sponsor states that the only alternative to completing the proposed project is closing the bridge. This was the case with the Eagle Road Bridge, which resulted in closed businesses and increased emergency vehicle response time. Furthermore, the completion of the project assures less traffic and congestion on nearby streets and intersections, greatly reduced travel time for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, and decreased emergency vehicle response time. Proposed Project: The proposed project involves the partial reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Columbus Road Lift Bridge, over the Cuyahoga River, in the City of Cleveland (location map). The work will include the total replacement of the lift span, retrofit and repair deteriorated tower elements, replacing the mechanical and electrical systems, and repairing the existing abutments and piers. The estimated total construction cost, provided by the sponsor, is $42,000,000. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has allocated $25,200,000 of local major bridge program funds. The Cuyahoga County Engineer and the City of Cleveland will provide a share of the construction cost ($8,400,000). The sponsor is requesting $8,400,000 of NOACA-administered Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for the project. Staff Comment (Summary): Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: This project is consistent with NOACA’s Connections 2030 Goals #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). This project is currently portrayed in NOACA’s SFYs 2008 – 2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), dated May 11, 2007, with only Local Major Bridge (LMBR) funds and local funds. The sponsor’s request for STP funds for the project’s construction cost merits its processing through project planning review (PPR). The estimated construction cost is approximately 33 percent more than the construction cost ($31,500,000) portrayed in the TIP. According to NOACA’s Regional Transportation Investment Policy (October 2008), “projects already on the Plan or TIP that request a change in scope or significant cost increase (greater than 20%) must go through PPR again.” Best available practices should be used to avoid water quality degradation in the Cuyahoga River during and after construction. Recommend committee and public review in order to obtain comments. Regional Transportation System (RTS) Team: This bridge has a General Appraisal (GA) of 3 (serious condition). The General Appraisal rating is a general assessment of the major structural components of a bridge rated on a scale from 0 (worst) to 9 (best). This bridge also has a sufficiency rating of 7.4 (the sufficiency rating evaluates separate factors to obtain a numeric value which is indicative of bridge sufficiency to remain in service. The ratings are between 0 and 100 with 100 being a completely sufficient bridge and 0 being a completely deficient bridge. The Columbus Road Lift Bridge is on the NOACA bicycle priority plan and is using NOACA-attributable funds; therefore, the project must accommodate cyclists. The project sponsor indicates that the project includes five-foot bike lanes, which will accommodate all levels of cyclists. 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. Brad Chase, GreenCityBlueLake Institute: 1) All bridge street lighting elements should be LED bulbs with full light cutoff. 2) All traffic control lights as part of this project should utilize LED bulbs. Committee Review: Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): No comments; recommended for amendment to NOACA's Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC): The project will provide 5-foot bike lanes, which will accommodate all levels of cyclists. It is compliant with NOACA’s Bicycle Priority Plan mandates. Add a surface treatment of non-skid materials.