Lake Avenue, West 76^th Street Pedestrian Tunnel Rehabilitation Kicks-off Lakefront West

Garfield Heights (Monday, August 2, 2010) –  Today crews on behalf of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the City of Cleveland began the eagerly anticipated Lakefront West Project which will renovate both the Lake Avenue and West 76^th Street tunnels connecting Cleveland’s west side neighborhoods and Lake Erie.

Beginning Friday, August 6, crews will close the tunnel for the Lake Avenue walkway connecting Edgewater State Park and Clifton Blvd./Cleveland Memorial Shoreway. The Lake Avenue Pedestrian Tunnel was originally expected to close today, but was postponed due to delays in securing detour signage.  The tunnel is expected to remain closed through calendar year 2010.  At West 76^th Street, the western end of Father Frascati Avenue and the northern end of West 76^th St. around the tunnel will be closed to vehicular traffic during construction.  Pedestrian access will be maintained until the tunnel closes after Labor Day.  Short, interim closures of the tunnel may be necessary as crews move equipment. 

Beginning after September 6, 2010 crews will then close the West 76^th Street tunnel connecting the Battery Park area with Lake Erie.  That tunnel is also expected to remain closed through calendar year 2010.  The western end of Father Frascati Avenue and the northern end of West 76^th St. around the tunnel will remain closed to vehicular traffic.

Pedestrian and bicycle access via the West 65^th St. tunnel will be maintained.  Intermittent lane closures on the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway are expected, however impacts to traffic will be minimal. 

Rehabilitation of the existing pedestrian tunnels at Lake Avenue and West 76^th Street under the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway includes improved access, lighting and drainage.

The Lakefront West Project is working to connect Cleveland's west side neighborhoods with the lakefront by creating multi-modal connections along the West Shoreway between West Boulevard and the Main Avenue Bridge. The Lakefront West Project will increase access to Lake Erie, improve green space, biking and pedestrian facilities, increase development potential and simplify connections along the now limited-access freeway.

ODOT and the City of Cleveland have developed a strategy that maximizes the effectiveness of the available project budge and accommodates anticipated traffic volumes, while preserving the goals of the “Connecting Cleveland: The Waterfront District Plan.”

For more information on the Lakefront West Project – including proposed project renderings and updated project information – log-on to www.BuckeyeTraffic.org/LakefrontWest.

All dates and times are approximate and weather dependent.  For statewide construction and road condition information visit www.BuckeyeTraffic.org.

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For more information contact:
The ODOT District 12 Communications Office at (216) 584-2005