The focus of this project is to advance the Active Transportation recommendations of the NOACA-funded Community Confluence TLCI Project, specifically as they relate to the Clifton Boulevard-Lake Road Corridor between West Clifton Boulevard in Lakewood and the Linda Street in Rocky River.
Public Meeting
The Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works and Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, in partnership with the municipalities of Lakewood and Rocky River, are proposing improvements to a 1.25-mile stretch of the Lake Road–Clifton Boulevard corridor. These proposed improvements and enhancements are the result of numerous public planning efforts—most recently and notably the “Community Confluence Plan,” funded by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s (NOACA’s) Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) program. The Community Confluence TLCI Plan envisioned improved pedestrian and bicycle connections—on city streets and the Clifton Boulevard, Detroit Road, and Hilliard Road Bridges–between the two cities and the Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Reservation.
This project has advanced from Planning and Preliminary Engineering to Final Engineering and Design. Recommendations for the Lake Road-Clifton Boulevard Corridor Improvements project include variety of pedestrian-scale improvements: intersection improvements, a road diet, traffic calming measures, an all-purpose trail, streetscaping, and enhanced pedestrian-bicycle connections.
Public meetings were held on May 9 and June 27, 2023.
Community Confluence Preliminary Engineering Project
Preliminary Engineering Study
The Clifton Boulevard/Lake Road Enhancements Preliminary Engineering Study is now available.
Advancing through the continuing partnership between Cuyahoga County, the Cities of Lakewood and Rocky River and the Cleveland Metroparks, this project will identify and provide preliminary design solutions for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, gateway enhancements, placemaking, and streetscape treatments that can be implemented in the near future. These recommendations and conceptual alternatives will positively enhance the work being done as part of the Cuyahoga County Lakefront Public Access Plan and the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan.
Meeting Materials
Public Meeting
October 12, 2021
Community Confluence TLCI Planning Study
Community Confluence TLCI Final Report
Project Background
Community Confluence was a joint effort between County Planning, the City of Lakewood, the City of Rocky River, Cleveland Metroparks, and NOACA to improve pedestrian and bicycle access, circulation, safety, and wayfinding across the Clifton Boulevard, Detroit Road, and Hilliard Boulevard bridges and better connect to the surrounding neighborhoods and the Metroparks Rocky River Reservation.
The three existing bridges (Clifton Boulevard, Detroit Road, and Hilliard Boulevard) that span the Rocky River valley between the communities of Lakewood and Rocky River currently have minimal accommodations for people traveling by bike or foot.
The result is a disconnected active transportation (pedestrian and bicycle) network between the two communities with limited access for all to the Rocky River Reservation. Connections to the Reservation are complicated by the steep topography of the valley; the study area includes 120′ cliffs in several locations.
This planning study is funded through the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency’s (NOACA) Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI); the consultant team includes OHM Advisors, Toole Design Group, Guide Studio, and Loukas Engineering.
Project Goals
The goals of the study include improving multimodal and active transportation access, circulation, safety, and wayfinding between the Rocky River Reservation and the Cities of Lakewood and Rocky River on these three existing bridges and surrounding neighborhoods. The study will further examine connections into the surrounding neighborhoods to maximize transportation links and facility usage.
The study will conduct an audit of existing GCRTA and bicycle/pedestrian facilities, as well as existing traffic patterns and road and bridge traffic capacities. The study will explore opportunities to improve safety and access for bicycle and pedestrian traffic by assessing the feasibility of infrastructure improvements such as road diets, buffered bicycle lanes, expanded all-purpose trails, improved crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands, signalization, and lighting. The study area is currently served by GCRTA Bus Routes 25, 26, and 55, and recommendations for improved transit access and opportunities for site-specific Transit Waiting Environments and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) will be developed.
Wayfinding is another important component of this study, knowing that the Rocky River Reservation is one of Cleveland Metroparks most visited park areas, and that the study area includes neighborhoods and business districts in Lakewood and Rocky River. The study will use wayfinding to determine the most effective circulation into major entrances to Cleveland Metroparks Rocky River Reservation, the northern portion of which lies in the valley between the two communities at the intersection of Valley Parkway and Detroit Road, and into the neighborhoods and local business districts.
Meeting Materials
Virtual Webinar
December 15, 2020
Community Confluence Virtual Community Workshop #2
September 3, 2020
Community Confluence Virtual Community Workshop #1
June 11 to July 5, 2020
Process
The Community Confluence planning process includes the following tasks.
Existing Conditions Discovery & Technical Analysis
The Consultant Team will conduct a thorough existing conditions analysis of the study area’s active transportation (AT) facilities and networks, along with other existing infrastructure to include: rights-of-way, roadway, and sidewalk widths; transit routes, stops, and waiting environments; crosswalks, signage, and signals.
Community Workshops
Public engagement and education are an essential component of a successful planning process. A variety of Stakeholders and the general public will be engaged to incorporate public opinion into the final product. Due to COVID-19, the Consultant Team will employ a “virtual” approach to Community Workshops—through online presentations and surveys, to identify real and perceived issues and future needs.
Alternatives & Costs Development
The Consultant Team will develop network completion alternatives, an alternatives feasibility matrix, and corridor configuration options with signage & wayfinding recommendations and planning-level cost estimates.
Draft Recommendations & Implementations Plan
The Consultant Team will synthesize the existing conditions analysis and Community Workshop results and how they influenced the study, with best practices research, design guidance, and professional expertise into a set of infrastructure-based recommendations to improve active transportation in the study area.
Final Report & Plan Presentation
The Consultant Team will refine the draft Recommendations and Implementation Plan, and incorporate all research, analysis, and Community Workshop input into the Community Confluence TLCI Plan Final Report.
Contact Us
Questions or comments about the Community Confluence project should be directed to:
Mr. James Sonnhalter
Manager, Planning Services
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
jsonnhalter@cuyahogacounty.us