On Sept. 9, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) received a $20 million federal grant to improve accessibility at seven stations along its Green Line light rail, bringing the agency closer to making its entire rail system accessible to riders with mobility challenges.
The grant, awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) All Stations Accessibility (ASA) Program, will fund the renovation of seven out of 11 stations. The program was created through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address accessibility improvements at outdated transit stations. The FTA announced $233 million in accessibility funding for eight projects across five states, including the $20 million award to GCRTA.
The Green Line stretches roughly 10 miles from the Tower City Station in Downtown Cleveland to the Green Road Station in Shaker Heights. The seven Green Line stations included in the project are Belvoir, Courtland, Coventry, Eaton, South Park, Southington and West Green. The Green Line has 11 stations in total, meaning the grant will address the remaining stations that are not currently Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible.
The project will restore 40-year-old stations with the installation of new concrete platforms equipped with tactile warning panels. Other improvements will include redesigned ramps, sidewalk replacements, elevated sections of platforms to improve access to trains and improvements to parking spaces, including curb ramps.
“This award represents a major milestone for GCRTA and Greater Cleveland,” GCRTA General Manager and CEO India L. Birdsong Terry said in the agency’s announcement. “Once this work is complete, every rail station in our system will be ADA accessible.”
The investment also has implications beyond the seven stations because public transportation connects Cleveland with communities throughout Northeast Ohio. U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, said the funding will address deteriorating platforms and sidewalks while improving access between Cleveland and the eastern suburbs. He also said the project will provide transportation for workers and visitors while contributing to the region’s economy.
The station work is part of a larger series of federal investments in GCRTA’s rail accessibility. According to transportation-industry reporting based on FTA project selections, the agency previously received $8 million through the ASA Program for improvements at the East 79th Street station and $16 million for accessibility improvements at eight Blue Line stations.
The FTA said its latest accessibility awards are intended to address older “legacy” transit stations across the country that were built before current accessibility standards. GCRTA’s project is one of eight projects receiving funding in the latest round, which also includes transit agencies in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois and California.
For GCRTA, completing the Green Line project would prove the agency’s commitment to making the rail stations more accessible. Decades-old infrastructure will be updated, and more accessible connections for riders with disabilities will be provided across Cleveland.