Cleveland RTA expands Euclid Corridor project

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) expanded the scope of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project to include a major transit center near Cleveland State University. Under the revised scope, the $18 million East Side Transit Center will be eligible for federal New Starts funding. "This transit center will have a mini-airport hub environment and will allow RTA customers to wait and transfer to and from various transit routes in a clean, safe and climate-controlled environment," said RTA CEO Joe Calabrese. The new center will include arrival and departure monitors, retail services such as a coffee shop and gift shop and house a transit police sub-station. Approved by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency several years ago, the transit center was later put on hold to better coordinate with the Euclid Avenue bus rapid transit line. That line is now in the final design phase. RTA's new funding plan totals $246 million, a $26 million increase over the current $220 million plan. RTA is requesting 50% federal New Starts participation.