CLEVELAND — The East 79th Street Blue-Green RTA station is now closed for the next year for a complete rebuild to improve accessibility and rider comfort.
The aging station will undergo a nearly $10 million renovation.
Improvements include on-demand heating for riders waiting in the winter, better lighting, and cameras and emergency call boxes for riders to directly communicate with in-transit police. Wheelchair access will also be added.
Public art and sidewalks will also be added to the station into the adjacent Hillside Community Park.
"We designed it in such a way that we actually have entrances off the park itself," Brian Temming, Manager of Quality Assurance with the Greater Cleveland RTA, said. "When you get off the bus, you can walk and get up to the platforms, but also if you're coming from the local residents in the park, it'll have its own separate little walkway entrance which brings you into the station as well."
The project is completely funded through a grant.
The station is expected to open sometime next summer. In the meantime, riders can take the number two E. 79th Street bus route on weekdays or the Number 14 bus route.
