Purpose
Welcome to the Living Lorain Cycling Options website, which presents Lorain Avenue from West 65th to West 20th Street.
We need your help!
The planning process completed in 2015 (see Project History below) recommends building a sidewalk-level cycle track. The City has secured some funding, but not enough. Additional funding sources have been and will continue to be pursued, but in the meantime the pavement continues to deteriorate, and the construction date remains uncertain.
This website compares the cycle track option to other options, including bike lanes, that could be implemented at less cost and sooner. Some options could serve as interim treatment while additional funds are raised, keeping in mind that this interim treatment could last several years.
Let us know what you think!
The video below will walk you through the content on the website and project a brief project overview:
Description
The project is in City of Cleveland Ward 3, represented by Councilmember Kerry McCormack and City of Cleveland Ward 15, represented by Councilmember Jenny Spencer.
Last year, the proposed cycle track operation was evaluated block-by-block, and the section from West 65th to West 44th was found to have too many conflict points to support a safe cycle track operation. However, it can support a sidewalk-level multi-use path which would accommodate bicycles as well as pedestrians.
A cycle track is intended for exclusive use by cyclists with the benefit of dedicated traffic signal heads, and restrictions for use by pedestrians. A shared-use path does not use traffic signals and has no restrictions on usage (for more information, refer to the “Definitions” tab). The width of the multi-use path proposed for Lorain Avenue is wide enough to allow for a separate cycling zone to be marked with pavers, paint, signs or other means. Cyclists are encouraged to use this cycling zone, but they should expect pedestrian encroachments.
Bicycle lanes have also been considered block-by-block and are presented for operation and cost comparison to the cycle-track/multi-use path options which require widening the sidewalk area on one side and installing a new curb line resulting in a full reconstruction of the street.
Full reconstruction for cycle-track/multi-use path options:
When a curb line is relocated on a major urban arterial, drainage patterns and underground utilities are disrupted, and a full reconstruction is required. The new wider sidewalk stills need to slope away from existing building entrances, and rain and melting snow still need to be conveyed to underground sewers.
Lorain Avenue has many layers of pavement (brick, concrete, asphalt), a history of streetcar use and numerous underground utilities. An existing water line and underground electric conduits will need to be relocated to avoid the new curb line and keep them accessible for long term maintenance.
In addition to new bicycle facilities, the reconstruction of Lorain Avenue from West 65th to West 20th Street will include the following improvements:
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Pavement replacement
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Curb, walk, and curb ramp repair or replacement to make pedestrian walkways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
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Transit waiting area enhancements (see Definitions)
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Water line, sewer and utility replacements and improvements
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New signage and pavement markings
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Traffic signal replacements
Rehabilitation for bike lane options:
The bike lane options preserve the existing road curb line and drainage patterns. The existing asphalt surface will be removed from the pavement, and it will be replaced with new asphalt. The existing pavement base below the removed asphalt will be repaired if needed, but it is expected to be in fair to excellent condition based on what has been found in the sections of Lorain Avenue recently rehabilitated to the west of West 65th Street.
The rehabilitation of Lorain Avenue from West 65th to West 20th Street will include the following improvements:
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Pavement milling and resurfacing, and base repairs as needed
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Curb, walk, and curb ramp repair or replacement to make pedestrian walkways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
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Transit waiting area enhancements (see Definitions)
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Utility adjustments as needed
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New signage and pavement markings
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Traffic signal upgrades
Project History
The study entitled “Living Lorain: Lorain Avenue Corridor Improvement Plan” dated December 2013, presents recommendations for the section from West 85th Street to West 25th Street based on the City of Cleveland’s Complete and Green Street Typologies Plan and the public input process.
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The planning team concluded that the preferred lane configuration to best serve the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and merchants consisted of 2 lanes of traffic with dedicated parking on one side and a street-level cycle track on the other.
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After subsequent meetings and discussions of the planning team with Ohio City, the City of Cleveland, and other interested parties, the recommendation was updated to include a sidewalk-level cycle track from West 65th Street to West 20th Street.
A Technical Memo entitled “Lorain Avenue Design Concept”, dated April 3, 2015, presents the updated concept along with cost estimates for four potential funding scenarios which range from the most basic features to create the raised separated bikeway to complete enhancement of the corridor.
The City updated the cost estimates in May of 2017. The fully reconfigured roadway and cycle track scenario was estimated at $20 million, including design and construction engineering.