A portion of Superior Avenue has been closed to buses since the renovated Public Square was unveiled over the summer and it will stay that was if the City of Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority get their way.
Over the next few weeks, both will work together to put together a plan to show the Federal Transit Authority.
The FTA needs to approve the plan before any work can begin.
Officials say they'd like to make changes to other transit zones to make up for buses not going through Public Square, focusing on Superior Avenue from West 3rd Street to East 18th Street and St. Clair Avenue from West 3rd Street to East 12th Street.
The routes may be changed to look more like Euclid Avenue, with traffic lanes for buses only and traffic lights synched to keep the buses moving quickly.
Some of the riders who spoke to News 5 said they are not happy about the permanent closure.
“As a rider, we should be able to commute back and forth, because sometimes we have to get off early,” said RTA rider Rodney Rahmon.
“It’s gonna be congested and it’s not a good idea to close that down,” said rider Keneth Whitlow.
Ward 14 councilman Brian Cummins tweeted about the announcement, calling it an 'unfortunate decision.'
The mayor's office released this statement regarding the decision:
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) and the City of Cleveland have been working for several months to develop a plan for Public Square that is in the best interests of the citizens of Greater Cleveland. GCRTA and the City have determined that Superior Avenue in Public Square will remain closed and that both parties will work cooperatively to mitigate—outside of Public Square—any operational impacts of this decision.
The parties have informed the Federal Transit Administration of this decision and are seeking its concurrence.
