May 28, 2024
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $16 million in grant funds to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021.
“Improving the accessibility of these rail stations will improve transit options for riders with disabilities and create opportunity for everyone,” said U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
“As a daily Paratransit customer for over 18 years, I want to thank Senator Brown for his leadership and ongoing efforts in improving public transportation and supporting our ADA community,” said GCRTA immediate past President, and current Board Trustee, Rev. Charles P. Lucas, Pastor Emeritus, St. James AME Church. “Paratransit is a lifeline for many people with disabilities and for seniors, it keeps us independent and involved in the community.”
The $16 million grant to GCRTA will be used to rehabilitate eight stations along the Light Rail Blue Line to make the entire Blue Line accessible for people with disabilities. Station upgrades will include replacing the 40-year-old platforms with new concrete platforms with tactile warning panels, installing redesigned ramps, elevating a platform section to access trains, and improving parking stalls with curb ramps to access the stations.
“Excellent news,” said GCRTA Deputy General Manager Engineering & Project Management, Michael J. Schipper. “We are very thankful to win this grant for a second time after having won an ASAP grant of $8 million in 2023, for the rehabilitation of the E.79th Street Light Rail Station.”
Public transit is a force multiplier to innate healthy communities. It’s an important mechanism to connect communities and neighborhoods and increase healthy living.