The Observer, December 2, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12
Cleveland on Fire: University Circle will benefit from better transporation
For many years, University Circle has not been able to reach its potential due to poor access. This is not limited to the curving and intermixing roads around Cedar Avenue or East Boulevard, but includes no direct access from the interstate. For employees of the area (the second largest such area in Northeast Ohio), tourists, or consumers to visit, they must travel stop-and-go through miles of city streets to reach the second downtown of Cleveland. This adds time and difficulty to the commute and some of the inner-city connections are through neighborhoods plagued by poverty and abandonment – not the easiest route to what should be a magnetic area.
Serious talk and planning has begun to provide better access via an extension of now-worthless I-490 from East 55th Street to East 105th Street and the doorway of University Circle. This six-lane interstate would allow for easy and quick commutes from I-77, I-71, I-176, and I-90 West – anywhere south and west of downtown – and create spur development at exits along the way in neighborhoods neglected and lacking economic growth.
Coined the "Opportunity Corridor," this new interstate is far off from happening; community and development work has only recently begun by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Cuyahoga County, and Cleveland. That being said, the project has very strong community support from neighborhoods coalitions, the Cleveland Clinic, and other institutions here. The plan also has the backing of mayor-elect Jackson, who considers the connection a priority even above other Innerbelt projects, but it currently lacks financial support since it is so early in the process. Future funding will most likely come from matching; the city and county will have to split the bill with the state and federal agencies.
Anyone who lives, works, or plays around here knows the difficulty of travel – ten minutes through difficult roads to the nearest interstate. This new route would open up opportunities for those who live here to get somewhere else, and those who are coming to visit will enjoy an easier trip. Perhaps the easier commutes would entice more businesses to call the region home. The easier access allows visitors to frequent the cultural hub of Cleveland and the attractions it has to offer: museums, hospitals, schools, and parks plus hopefully potential retail and restaurants within the redevelopment plans.
A new high-speed access route would lend to immediate and clear benefits, but like a steroid to an athlete, there are hidden dangers for this plan. Interstates have historically divided and torn apart cities. North of the proposed plan lies I-90, a high-speed route that has for fifty years hurt neighborhoods and the entire region's access to its greatest asset – Lake Erie. This situation is a bit different, but it still will divide a community and tear up between 60 and 120 homes. Also, the easier access could hinder redevelopment efforts inside University Circle – commuters from the suburb may no longer feel the need to live here due to the quick route.
Although there are some nagging questions about the "Opportunity Corridor," the project is necessary for the city. Access to University Circle has been a problem for decades, and this proposal would have a greater impact than the highly touted Euclid Corridor Project will. This route needs immediate attention, as the outcome is clearer than other aspects of the disputed Innerbelt Project. Once completed, a major problem facing a vital portion of Cleveland will have been alleviated.
