PROSPECTUS
Intermodal shipping is a critical part of the surface transportation system and is vital for the region and nation’s economy. Despite this, marine commerce is often neglected because it is not as visible as freight traffic on roads and rail.
Maritime commerce in Cleveland Harbor provides over 20,000 jobs and businesses adjacent to and relying on the river form a key manufacturing hub in Northeast Ohio. The river, as part of the M-90 Marine Highway Corridor, is a key piece of Great Lakes shipping: sending and receiving goods with several Great Lakes ports. The Irishtown Bend hillside bulkhead project is essential to the continued shipment of materials such as iron ore, limestone, cement, aggregate, and salt, which comprise 13 million tons of cargo transiting the ship channel.
Due to aged and failing infrastructure that will inevitably result in the riverbank’s failure – blocking all movement upstream – shipping through the Cuyahoga River’s navigable channel is at risk. The implications of failure will result in barges not being able to access the Cuyahoga River and an estimated 473,000 additional trucks being added to roads. The Irishtown Bend project will restore the riverbank, ensuring manufacturing continues to support the regional and national economy.
The project partners are overly concerned about the risk of maritime traffic, which would be blocked, in the event of hillside collapse. The 18-acre site has had at least a 40-year history of hillside instability. This narrow section of the ship channel is vital to commodity freight movements in the region. In response to the eminent danger to commerce, the Port of Cleveland engaged a consulting engineer to evaluate conditions in this area. The engineers identified a comprehensive list of recommendations and preliminary cost estimates to restore Irishtown Bend, totaling $60,000,000.
Many of these project components are being addressed by a variety of stakeholders. However, the largest single component of stabilizing the hillside and protecting the shipping channel is bulkhead installation estimated at $35M.
Intermodal shipping is a critical part of the surface transportation system and is vital for the region and nation’s economy. Despite this, marine commerce is often neglected because it is not as visible as freight traffic on roads and rail.
OUR MISSION
Building a
Sustainable Future
NOACA is excited to initiate the next steps with an innovative crowdfunding strategy to raise additional funds for the Irishtown Bend Stabilization project.
Crowdfunding is a method to support funding generated through donation-based giving by private individual or organizational contributors. In collaboration with your agency, NOACA intends to develop a widespread campaign that will target individuals and organizations representing both private and public industries and sectors. A successful raise will ensure that NOACA is meeting its obligations to the U.S. Department of Transportation to demonstrate crowdfunding as an innovative approach to funding public infrastructure. Specifically, as committed for local match to the $9.02 million secured by NOACA for the Irishtown Bend through the US DOT INFRA federal discretionary program.
The crowdfunding strategy will extend efforts well beyond the region, with the goal to capture national interest to advance the remaining project components.
With your SUPPORT, we will generate resources for the next project phase and demonstrate innovative approaches to financing public infrastructure projects.
