Construction began in March on the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project in downtown Cleveland, OH. The $200 million, approximately 9 mile bus rapid transit system is scheduled to open in late 2008. And by 2025 the new Silver Line is projected to generate 13,000 jobs, 7.9 million square feet of new commercial space, and a million new riders annually.
"It should be a real shot in the arm," said Sarah Hawkins, property manager of the Arcade, a collection of shops and services located in a magnificent and historic building located on Euclid.
Euclid Avenue - like Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Broadway in Gary, or Division Avenue in Grand Rapids - currently is strewn with empty lots, boarded up storefronts, and potholes. But the new rapid transit line will run up and down the disinvested corridor and connect the two largest employment centers in Northeast Ohio: the downtown business district and a booming life sciences corridor located just east of the central city that includes the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and Case Western Reserve University.
Cleveland State University and the city's Theatre District also are located along the new route, which will include 36 new stations. Residents, civic leaders, and business owners hope the modern transportation infrastructure will set the stage for the acceleration of the city's revitalization.
