Cleveland casino wants to lower Cuyahoga River

CLEVELAND (AP) — The developer of a casino in Cleveland wants to slim down the city’s river shipping lanes to make room for more parking.

The idea emerged in talks between the casino company controlled by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Army Corps of Engineers. The military branch controls navigable waterways.

The casino company has proposed pushing out by 29 feet the Cuyahoga River bulkhead, similar to a seawall. The location is adjacent to the river’s 180-degree turn that cargo carriers must slowly traverse.

Shippers tell The Plain Dealer that pushing out the bulkhead would reduce the clearance for ships to 2 feet. The Corps of Engineers says it would take an act of Congress to move the bulkhead.