Full Slate of Development Projects Advocated by Greater Cleveland Partnership Secured in Federal Transportation Bill

Friday, July 29, 2005

Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) today announced a major victory for its Northeast Ohio economic development efforts. Every project advocated by GCP and aimed at improving the roadways, transit systems, and tourism industry of Northeast Ohio are part of a comprehensive highway bill that is expected to receive Congressional approval late this week. Greater Cleveland stands to reap more than $194 million in federal funds when the highway bill becomes law.

“Clevelanders will see the benefits of this bill for years to come,” said Joe Roman, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership. “We only get this chance once every six years or so to prioritize and push for significant projects that will contribute to the economic well-being of Greater Cleveland. Through hard work and persistence, Greater Cleveland Partnership realized our goal of securing funding for every project on our list. Passage of the bill sets in motion major construction projects that will change the way Clevelanders go to work, use the Lake and travel through the region. This bill means jobs and it means the realization of some key development projects.”

GCP worked with both public and private sector partners to prioritize these major Northeast Ohio transportation projects, and then worked with Senators Mike DeWine, George Voinovich, and Representatives Steve LaTourette, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ralph Regula and Dennis Kucinich to ensure projects advocated by GCP were in the final version of the bill. Highlights of GCP projects in the bill for Greater Cleveland include:

  • $106.97 million for Inner Beltway and Central Viaduct Bridge—The funds will help with repairs to the beltway and Central Viaduct Bridge.
  • $24.8 million in 2005 and 2006 for Euclid Corridor—Euclid corridor improvement project will receive almost $25 million per year for two years.
  • $7.2 million for Towpath Trail—The towpath will be extended to Lake Erie.
  • $5 million for Lake-front development—The funds will help construct a pedestrian bridge that completes the connection around the North Coast Harbor Basin also converts 7 acres of land on Dock 32 into a park behind the Great Lakes Science Center.
  • $5 million for Flats East Bank Redevelopment—The funding will assist in the development of a project that will include housing, entertainment and retail spaces along the lakefront.
  • $1.38 million for Crocker Stearns—The long-planned project will connect Crocker and Stearns highways.
  • $1 million for Lake Erie ferry–The ferry would run between Cleveland and Port Stanley, Ontario.

The bill also includes important projects around University Circle:

  • $4.6 million for an intermodal facility at University Hospital.
  • $7.1 million for an intermodal facility at Euclid Avenue and East 93rd Streets.
  • $7.1 million for an intermodal facility at University Circle.

“Greater Cleveland owes a debt of gratitude to our representatives in Washington. They were responsive to our requests and due to their positions and influence, were able to secure these projects that are vital to keeping Clevelanders on the move,” said Roman. “Senator DeWine and Voinovich and Representatives LaTourette, Tubbs Jones, Regula and Kucinich understand the needs of our region. And now thanks to them our roadways will be safer, the Lake will be more accessible, and our public transit system will serve more people.”

The highway bill was last authorized in 1998. This version of the highway bill, called the Highway Conference Report on the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005, or SAFETEA, will direct federal transportation funding through 2009. The conference report, approved by the House and expected to be passed by the Senate later tonight, next goes to President George W. Bush for his signature.

The Greater Cleveland Partnership, the primary voice for businesses in Greater Cleveland, seeks to create jobs and wealth, and improve the economic vitality of the region. Its priorities include technology, innovation and high-growth businesses; connected physical development; education and workforce development; and business attraction, retention and expansion. The GCP emphasizes service to its more than 16,400 members; advocacy on behalf of members and the region; diversity and inclusion; and internationalization of the region and its businesses.

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