11-09-04
Contact: Melissa Sabatine
Telephone: (202) 366-4043
Initial construction of Cleveland’s new mass transit project, the Silver Line, can begin soon thanks to an $18.4 million grant announced today by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.
The federal investment will fund the initial phase of construction of Cleveland’s new Euclid Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project. The money will allow the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to finance several project components, including the resurfacing of two miles of pavement and sidewalks, curb modifications to accommodate people with disabilities, relocation of light poles, signs, pavement marking, and landscaping.
“Cleveland’s twenty year dream takes another step closer to reality today,” said Secretary Mineta. “The Euclid project holds the promise of more jobs, more business, and a better way of life for countless Cleveland residents.”
The Euclid Corridor Bus Project will connect the area’s two largest employment centers, downtown Cleveland and University Circle. Together these two communities serve over 195,000 jobs, the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland State University, and Case Western Reserve University. The Euclid Avenue BRT will run along Euclid Avenue from Public Square in downtown Cleveland to the Stokes-Windermere Rapid Transit Station in East Cleveland.
Secretary Mineta recently traveled to Cleveland to sign a federal funding commitment of $82.2 million for a state-of-the art BRT system. This state-of-the-art transportation system is expected to help local leaders achieve their goals of improved transportation and economic growth. The new system is expected to produce 32,000 news jobs, 17,000 new Cleveland residents and will serve 39,000 daily riders by 2025.
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