E. 79th Street Light Rail Station

On December 15, 2022, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) All Stations Accessibility Program awarded $8 million to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) for use in improving the E 79 St. Blue and Green Line Station to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.  The GCRTA will be adding an additional $2 million in local match to the project.

The GCRTA’s E. 79 St. Blue and Green Line Station was built in the early 1980’s and serves rail system on the east side of the City of Cleveland, located between Opportunity Corridor and Kinsman Road.  The station is elevated above the street level and is accessed by a single stairway, isolating it from the surrounding neighborhood.  No ADA accessible entrance is provided.  The conditions at the station are poor.  The concrete platform and walks are deteriorating and beyond their useful life.  The stairs are covered by a canopy, but little other protection is provided from the elements for passengers waiting at the station. In 2021 the trackwork was replace as part of the Light Rail Track Rehabilitation Program.

The primary goals of the project are to rehabilitate the station and bring it into compliance with current ADA standards, improve connections into the neighborhood, and provide Transit Oriented Development opportunities for the area.  A Transportation for Livable Communities Imitative (TLCI) East 79th Street Corridor Study was completed in 2018.  The reconstruction of the E. 79th Street Light Rail Station is identified as an important element for the redevelopment of the Corridors Residential Core.  The station’s improvements are key to increasing accessibility within the district.

Project Budget:

$10 million