Driving into the Future: The Innerbelt Project

CLEVELAND, OH—Gordon Proctor, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, will present the plans for the Innerbelt project and discuss issues concerning it at noon on Wednesday, June 7, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is planning for the rehabilitation and redesign of the 50-year-old Innerbelt between MetroHealth Center and “Dead Man’s Curve.” This change includes the Innerbelt Bridge, which carries I-71/I-90 traffic over the Cuyahoga River Valley. This project—costs estimated at $900 million dollars—will not begin for at least three years and will not be completed until 2017.

The Innerbelt project will shape urban and economic development in Cleveland for decades. What opportunities does this new project present? How can state and local government work together to create a brighter and more exciting future for Northeast Ohio? How will the project change the look of Cleveland a decade from now? Proctor will address these concerns.

Director since 1999, Proctor oversees Ohio’s $2.1 billion annual transportation program used to design, build and maintain Ohio’s nearly 20,000 miles of state, U.S., and interstate highways. ODOT also helps coordinate and develop Ohio’s public transportation and aviation programs.

Previously, Proctor served as ODOT’s chief of staff and as a deputy director of planning and a legislative liaison. Prior to joining ODOT in 1991, he spent more than a decade as a news reporter and editor for newspapers and wire services in Colorado, Ohio, Arkansas and Massachusetts.

Tickets for this City Club Special Program are $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.

Established in 1912 to encourage new ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club of Cleveland is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. The City Club’s mission is to inform, educate and inspire citizens by presenting significant ideas and providing opportunities for dialogue in a collegial setting.

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