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 New lighting and 1,500 new trees planted along the Euclid Corridor in Cleveland, Ohio, a 7.1 mile stretch that now accommodates bike lanes and hybrid-electric vehicles for this corridor's HealthLine, public transit system. |
Cleveland RTA's Euclid Avenue Green Corridor Connects The City by Karen Farkas It took two years to build, cost $200 million and got a new name. It faced the wrath of drivers, business owners and pedestrians as a 7.1-mile stretch of Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio was torn up for months at a time. But now, as its trolley bells ring, RTA's "HealthLine," commonly known as the Euclid Corridor, begins service from Public Square to the Stokes/Windermere station in East Cleveland, down a tree-lined boulevard dotted with sleek stations and public art. In 20 minutes you can get from Tower City to University Circle -- two of the region's largest employment centers. The line connects the city's cultural, educational, medical and business centers. And its green, from the 1,500 trees planted on Euclid Avenue to the bike lanes and the hybrid-electric vehicles powered by clean diesel engines and electric transmissions. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority renamed the Euclid Corridor the HealthLine after the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals agreed to pay $6.25 million over 25 years for naming rights. That led RTA to claim the line would "pump new life" into Cleveland's economy and be the "rebirth of Euclid Avenue." Expectations are high. While RTA officials tout the $3 billion in planned and completed economic development along Euclid Avenue in recent years, much still needs to be done to revitalize the corridor. The HealthLine will absorb the 9,000 daily riders on the No. 6 bus that it replaces. But it hopes to increase that daily count by 6,000 by 2025, luring new commuters as well as office and hospital workers to take it to stores and restaurants. Now, the hopes and fanfare begin. Last month the lines opened with a ribbon cutting at East Fourth Street. During the opening weekend, rides on the new bus-rapid transit vehicles were free. Many Euclid Avenue businesses were open and offering activities. "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks was the featured performer at a concert celebrating this terrific job to Green Cleveland. Information about the new line, including schedules and ticketing, is available on rtahealthline.com by Karen Farkas, Plain Dealer Reporter |
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