The Final Stretch

© Stuart Pearl 2013 - Click on Image to Enlarge for Slideshow

By late November of this year we should have a new Westbound Innerbelt Bridge.   Construction is now in the home stretch for this $275M+ project. 

For me this has been a photographer's dream.  This area of Cleveland has provided many opportunities to create art from construction.  The Project Team has been very generous in providing supervised access to the construction zone.  Without them I could not have gotten many of my more interesting shots.

June 10, 2013 - This view from Tremont Bluffs shows river barges supporting a massive crane and beam for this section of the bridge which spans the Cuyahoga.  It takes an entire barge to support the 175' long, 100,000 pound steel beam which is being raised into place.  The crane sits on an adjacent barge.

The distance between Pier #4 (Tremont side)  and Pier #5 (Flats East Bank) is 380' as it traverses the river.  The top of the beam is 130' above the normal elevation of the water.  The next photo shows how the 50 ton beam appears from the East bank.

There are always a number of cranes on site.   To my eye they seem to fall into two categories:  the large heavy lifters for positioning the structural steel, and the smaller more maneuverable "bucket" cranes for lifting the ironworkers into position.

  

June 19, 2013 - From this vantage point the Norfolk & Southern Railway trestle as well as the old (background) and new Innerbelt spans seem to criss-cross in one huge pattern of steel.

Nearly 50 years ago Moses Pearl set up his easel on Tremont Bluff.  It was most likely on University Road just north of Sokolowski's University Inn.  The Flats was often a favorite subject of my father's paintings. 

 

This particular watercolor is a large three-dimensional triptych - a picture in three parts, and it shows the Norfolk and Southern Railway bridge on the left with the current Innerbelt bridge on the right.  He loved this sort of busy composition.  The original bridge was completed in 1959 and this painting was finished about 8-10 years after that. 

For a time the compositional elements of this painting confused me.  When I finally located dad's "easel spot" the actual view did not look like the painting.  Everything within my actual view seemed to be more spread out than what was represented in the painting.  

I asked him why he squashed everything so closely together.  With a whimsical smile he winked and said "artistic license." 

Dad tended to do that, taking all the interesting compositional elements in his field of view and compressing them onto his canvas for the viewer.  He felt it often made for a more interesting painting or drawing.

The Lafarge Cement Company on W. 3rd is in the middle of of the Innerbelt construction.  Typically off limits, it offers interesting views of the skyline framed by bridge iron and gravel mounds.

Even though the structural steel work has not yet been completed, painters have begun their work on the concrete piers of the new bridge.  You can see the off-white epoxy coating in the photos below.  Eventually the steelwork will be painted a darker off-white that will contrast with the piers.  The light paint will serve as canvas for the thousands of colored LED floodlight bulbs that will play across its surface.

December 28, 2012 - This is how construction looked in the Flats Valley.  A number of delta structures had already been mounted and the crews were making early progress connecting the piers.

One of the things I love about construction photography is the opportunity for finding abstract shapes and patterns within the steel and concrete.  Combine this with the high contrast light you have from a low angle sun and some powerful images can be created. 

Below, the Cleveland Rowing Club is seen passing by Pier #4 in April of this year.

 

The photo below shows a number of floor beams resting near Pier #3.  These weigh about 1,500 Lbs each and mount at  right angles to the much longer 100,000 lb steel beams.

Work also continues on the east end of the bridge as it crosses over W. 3rd St. in the flats.  This shot was taken on March 3 as a CSX engine was moving to another siding.

March 28, 2013 - The shot above shows the left pillar of Pier #9 as well as Piers 8 - 5 as they recede off to the west.

The two photos above show Pier #11 which is the widest of these structures.  The new Ontario St. ramp merges with the bridge deck at this point so it is necessary for this pier to be large enough to accommodate both roadbeds.

The author stands at the end of Pier #11 on the east bank as it overlooks the Flats valley.

Rick Steves - Cleveland Tour

© Stuart Pearl 2013 - Click on Image to Enlarge for Slideshow

If you've been to Europe or planned to backpack in those countries then you've heard of Rick Steves.  His travel segments are regularly broadcast on PBS and available on DVD.  For several decades he's written a very successful series of guidebooks under the heading of Europe Through the Back Door. 

Flying into Cleveland around 3 PM from Boston, Rick entertained more than 1000 people last Wednesday night at the Ohio Theater.  He was in the midst of a tour visiting twelve cities in twelve days.  

Speaking for nearly two hours, Rick provided tips on how to see Europe economically, with the least hassle, and in a way to avoid the typical "canned" tours.  His suggestions offer a different path with fewer crowds, and a more intimate feel to your trip.

I've watched a number of his taped travel segments on my local PBS Station WVIZ.  One difference I noticed about Rick's live performance compared to the produced shows is his warm sense of humor.   He blends story telling humor with a high energy delivery that shows his love for the topic.

"All those happy friendly tour guides that seem glad to be with me...I PAY them to be my friends for those shows."

He spends four months out of the year in Europe and is thoroughly comfortable every time he visits. Each taped 30 minute segment we see on PBS or DVD requires six days of filming. 

Rick prefers to book one-way flights to his destination cities as opposed to getting round trip tickets. It's much more interesting to take a bus or train to the next city and then fly out from that location. 

 

It's all about travelling light and being unencumbered.  Rick's travel bag measures 9" x 22" x 14" which makes it perfect for a carry on, and he limits it to a maximum of 20 pounds.  A well made flat money belt is also essential for peace and security.  It can be worn under your clothes out of easy reach while you keep just the money you'll need for that day in a pants pocket. 

 

"At least a couple of times a year I'll feel a small hand gently insert itself into one of my pockets.  This adds to the uniqueness of the cultural experience for that particular.  It's not that pickpockets target Americans.  We have all the cool stuff though: money, fancy cameras and watches, expensive phones...and if we look like helpless tourists hampered by heavy luggage, then we are targetted as the next victim."

 



Rick speaking in the Smith Studio at Ideastream after the show.

In his early years of European travel Rick visited many of the great museums and viewed their masterpieces.  He enjoyed it.  However it was only after he began taking some art appreciation courses that the great works took on a far greater meaning for him.

"Art is like a time tunnel.  It takes you back.....you learn much from it, understand who paid for it, and what their motivation was.  It is then that you have a much better understanding of the people of that country and their place in time."

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.