Render of the proposed Cleveland, Ohio, downtown lakefront projects, for which the city is seeking $268 million in federal funding. (Image: City of Cleveland Field Operations)

The application was sent to the US Department of Transportation鈥檚 (USDOT) National Infrastructure Project Assistance program (or Mega Grant Program), which would 鈥� if approved 鈥� fund up to 60% of a project鈥檚 cost.

That means, with the dollar amount requested by Cleveland, the four downtown projects together are expected to cost more than $446 million, though the final total could be higher.

The quartet of plans include creating a land bridge near the National Football League鈥檚 (NFL) Cleveland Browns鈥� stadium, as well as reconfiguring a portion of the city鈥檚 lakefront motorway 鈥� the Shoreway highway 鈥� into a boulevard with intersections. Shoreway bridge demolitions and recreations, and landscaping around the created boulevard, are also included in the scheme.

Additional renovations would take place at two multimodal transport hubs located in the same vicinity.

In addition to the Browns鈥� stadium, the site is also the location of the Rock Hall of Fame and the Great Lake Science Center.

Mega Grant Program awards are highly competitive, and there is no guarantee the plan will receive funding.

Cleveland Browns may leave downtown

The proposal is somewhat clouded in the short-term by uncertainty regarding the Cleveland Browns鈥� stadium.

The NFL club鈥檚 owners are investigating two plans regarding where the team plays its home games: it will either refurbish or reconstruct its current downtown facility for about $1.2 billion or relocate to a Cleveland suburb and build a new domed stadium for approximately $2.4 billion.

The Browns鈥� current stadium lease with the city expiries in 2028.