Bridging Tremont

 

© Stuart Pearl 2012 - Click on Image to Enlarge for Slideshow
 

The Cleveland skyline can resemble a string of holiday ornaments even when viewed through a concrete paving machine.  Not long ago this spot was just a mound of fresh dirt.  By late October though traffic will be flowing across this new stretch of I-90 as it bisects Tremont.  This piece of construction equipment is one of many devices being used to build the new Westbound Innerbelt bridge.  
 

Looking East from the Tremont Bluffs on January 10 pier #4 reflects the setting sun on the West bank of the Cuyahoga.  Right behind it you can see pier #5 on the east bank.  It now holds the triangular "delta" steel which is connected to pier #6 behind it.  The delta structures will provide future support of the new roadbed.

This closeup of piers 5 and 6 show detail of the delta steel as it crosses over the Norfolk and Southern rail trestle.

This view shows pier #6 on 10/30/12 with the false ironwork still in place supporting the newly installed delta steel.  The current innerbelt bridge is on the right.

The west end of the bridge will be "landing" in the area previously occupied by Cleveland Cold Storage.  In this 9/7/12 photo you can see the early legs of pier #4 adjacent to the Cuyahoga.  The steel tower at the right marks the Norfolk and Southern RR bridge.

Part of Tremont Bluffs had to be regraded after the Cold Storage foundation was excavated.  Removal of that huge building changed the slope's geography.  It was now possible to create a gentler slope down to the Cuyahoga that would put less pressure on the river bulkheads as well as the bridge piers.

The top pictures shows red sheetpile driven into the earth, almost looking like the back of a pipe organ.  It helps to stabilize the earth around the current Innerbelt bridge.  Drainage was also affected and new sewer conduits were installed as part of the project.

Tremont Bluffs can be seen in the distance through the girders and piers of the current Innerbelt bridge.

Standing at Abbey Avenue you can easily see pier #4 sitting downslope in the foot of the old Cold Storage location.  In this January 2013 picture the pier's top cap forms are still in position.

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church can be seen behind what will become the new I-90 roadway as it comes off the Westbound bridge.

This shot has nothing to do with the Innerbelt Bridge.  I simply post it as a reminder that a wonderful countryside surrounds Cleveland just over the next bridge.  You can see similar views at CVSR's Peninsula railroad station in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

High Concrete - Capping the Pier

© Stuart Pearl 2012 - Click on Images to Enlarge

Nearly twenty stories up these construction workers don't have time to appreciate the Cleveland skyline.  They are pouring the cap on Pier 5 of the new Innerbelt Bridge. 

Using a hydraulic system they are pumping concrete up into the form that will create the top of the bridge pier.  They must carefully work the concrete into a maze of reinforcing rebar, kneeding and tamping the concrete like a baker, to insure that no air pockets form.  This would weaken cure.

Pier 5 rises from the east bank of the Flats right next to the Cuyahoga.  It's cap is similar to others and will require about 110 truck loads of concrete to fill.  That is 1100 cubic yards.  The black "skirt" hanging from the top cap is an insulation blanket.  It helps the concrete to dry and cure more evenly.

Whenever possible the rebar structures are assembled on the ground.  It's safer and faster to do it this way.  Cranes lift them into the forms.  The workers then anchor them in place and concrete is pumped throughout the structure. 

An extensive array of pipes snakes its way throughout the rebar.  As the concrete is pumped into the form, these pipes will become submerged in that "mud."  Cool water will begin flowing to keep the concrete from getting too hot during the curing process.  After approximately ten days the forms are disassembled and carefully lowered to the ground.

In this picture the Norfolk & Southern railway trestle crosses the river into Tremont on the west bank.  It passes the area previously occupied by Cleveland Cold Storage.

This early morning shot from the west bank shows the hydraulic pump arm injecting concrete into Pier 5.

Cold Storage Meets Alien

© Stuart Pearl 2011 - Click on Images to Enlarge

Strange and powerful machines have been the fodder of many childhood nightmares. They tower over us with their open, menacing jaws and giant steel teeth.

I had some of those bad dreams in my own childhood. But more recently I am reminded of the movie "Alien." In one scene that creature bursts from the chest of an unsuspecting crewmember.

At the site of Cleveland Cold Storage last week, a similar evil looking device was ripping the flesh and bones from that old landmark. At times it was as if the biting head would pause to examine it's handiwork before plunging in for another bite.

This old landmark on the West bank of the Cuyahoga is directly in the path of the new Westbound Innerbelt bridge. Within the next few weeks it will be completely reduced to rubble. Perhaps these old bones will gain new life as part of Cleveland's breakwall. Or maybe the concrete will provide the foundation of a new lakeshore dike for wildlife.

Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge Project - June 2011

© Stuart Pearl 2011 - Click on Image to Enlarge

Remember this view of Cleveland's Inner Belt Bridge. It will be changing in the next few years. Before the end of the decade it will be gone after 50+ years of service, replaced by two new bridges. This will be the largest transportation project in Ohio history.

Bridges have always fascinated me. As a young boy my brother and I would build them in our backyard, digging roads with our Tonka trucks, and creating rivers and lakes with the garden hose.

My brother Arnold and cousin Alan building cities in the "Dirt Place" in 1960.

When I got older I was finally able to drive on real bridges. From their high vantage points I discovered fascinating details of Cleveland's skyline. And our city has a wonderful variety of bridge structures with architecture going back nearly 150 years.

The first of 14 massive bridge piers are now being built across the Flats valley which will support the new twin Inner Belt bridges. Steel piles are being driven about 200 feet down to bedrock to provide anchor points for each of the piers. Each steel pile is 55 feet in length and weighs about 12,000 pounds.

Concrete and rebar base of brige pier.

Worker in "pier pit."

Construction is now focused on the Westbound bridge which should be completed in 2013-14. It is being built just north of the existing bridge.

The old Cleveland Cold Storage building sits on the west bank of the Cuyahoga and is an early casualty of the construction. It sits directly in the path of the Tremont landing spot for the bridge. Built in 1927-1928 it was a huge insulated storage facility that was used for food distribution throughout the city. It played a major role in Cleveland's food services industry.

The present bridge carries about 119,000 cars each day. Sometimes a lone cyclist will brave the narrow metal sidewalk . When this man rode by, there was barely room for me to squeeze up against the railing while staring at the Cuyahoga river 273 feet below. I really don't like heights.

Storm coming up from the South of the Innerbelt and Hope Memorial bridges.

Butler Museum Accepts Flats Work

© Stuart Pearl 2010 (Click Image to Enlarge)

Each year Youngstown's Butler Institute of American Art holds its Midyear Show. This juried competition is open to artists nationwide. I was again fortunate to have one of my photographs accepted for display in the 2010 show. The opening is Sunday June 27.

"A Rust Rose Dawn" shows the Cleveland skyline shortly after sunrise on a December morning. The Norfolk & Western railway bridge can be seen at the bottom.

View of the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge & Cleveland skyline

Heights normally terrify me. It takes a supreme act of courage for me to clean roof gutters. The Butler image was made with no less terror, from I-90's Inner Belt bridge 274 feet above the chilly Cuyahoga.

There is a very narrow metal sidewalk that separates pedestrians from roaring traffic and a cold swim. The guard rails are way to "open" for my tastes. I was able to get this shot by walking the length of the bridge, starting at the West 14th St. ramp.

I have walked this bridge a couple of times now looking for different vantage points and variations in lighting. To my shock I discovered there are others even more daring than myself. The picture above was taken during warmer times but it shows that bike riders use the interstate bridge to cross the Cuyahoga also.

There was no place to go when this lone rider came pedalling up the sidewalk. I just thought "thin" and became one with the railing. He rolled right by as if he does this everyday. That could be very likely true. Plans are underway for construction of the new Inner Belt bridge. Many have suggested a more user-friendly walkway. I can certainly understand why.Allied Corporation property on the West Bank

Views from the bridge are often unique with dramatic clouds and wonderful lighting. This panorama of the Allied operation shows gravel piles on the west bank ready for road work and other construction projects.

"The Three Roofers" Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

This early morning Tremont picture was shot during the summer as roofers repaired a church roof. It shows there is always something going on.

The city constantly changes for my lens. It's just a matter of being alert to new opportunities. The same Cleveland landmark will reveal a different face from season to season as well as from dawn to dusk. Some of these pictures end up as simple snapshots recording the ongoing history. Other images may achieve the status of "artwork," rendering an interpretation that is unique in it's composition. Hopefully all will be enjoyed.