OH: RTA advances West 25th bus rapid transit project, as some businesses remain opposed

RTA’s planned conversion of West 25th Street to create bus-only lanes for a smoother public transit route is moving forward with support of the mayor’s office, though concerns linger among some businesses worried about losing street parking.

Michael Schipper, RTA’s deputy general manager of engineering and project management, told RTA board members Tuesday that he anticipated word within weeks from the federal government concerning the final piece of the funding puzzle. RTA is seeking a $20.4 million federal grant, which would cover more than one-third of the $52 million project.

Even if RTA comes up short on this year’s round of federal funding, other options were possible to keep the project on schedule, Schipper said after the meeting. This is because more than half of the needed federal, state and local money has been secured.

Plans call for completing the design this winter, and making necessary street, sidewalk and station changes in 2027 and 2028 so the new bus rapid transit route can open in late 2028.

The West 25th Street route, known as the “MetroHealth Line,” would extend from the Detroit-Superior Bridge to Old Brooklyn - one of RTA’s busiest corridors.

RTA said bus travel times through the area now vary, depending on congestion, from 15 to 29 minutes. The agency expects the bus rapid transit system to improve that to the 15- to 18-minute range.

The concerns raised by local business owners center around a short stretch of the project near the West Side Market.

Business owners near the market are opposed to the elimination of street parking for a few blocks north and south of Lorain Avenue. They most recently voiced their complaints in a letter last week addressed to the mayor and RTA’s general manager.

“All we our asking for is to start this [bus-only lane] south of Monroe Avenue. That’s our one ask,” said local bar owner Sam McNulty, who described himself as public transit advocate.

However, Schipper said that area is the key “pinch point,” accounting for about half the delays over the entire West 25th Street corridor. He said removing the bus-only lanes near the West Side Market would likely cause the project to score lower in RTA’s bid to receive competitive federal funding.

Schipper and Cleveland Planning Director Calley Mersmann jointly updated the RTA board on Tuesday, outlining both the project and the city’s efforts to address the loss of 55 street parking spaces near the West Side Market.

Mersmann said work was underway to create designated short-term and handicap parking on nearby side streets, and that the proper use of those spaces would be closely monitored - in part with a new camera system the city intends to implement to better police parking laws.

Mersmann said that although there would be a net loss of 55 street parking spaces, studies show that even at peak times, only 70% of the area’s 1,956 available parking spaces are being used. Better warning lights and other safety improvements will be made to pedestrian crossings, she said.

Ohio City Inc., the nonprofit representing residents and businesses neighborhood-wide, will push for the city carry out its parking plan, Executive Director Jane Platten said. The organization had not taken a hardline against the bus lanes, but Platten said the project will lead to substantial changes.

“In light of RTA’s confirmation that they are moving ahead with a plan that includes four lanes of traffic down West 25th Street, Ohio City Inc. stands ready to educate the community on the significant changes this project involves for the Market District area,” Platten said.

The letter to the mayor and RTA, shared by McNulty, included several names typed at the bottom, including McNulty, Dan and Pat Conway of the Great Lakes Brewing Co., Don Whitaker of the West Side Market Tenants Association, and Mike & Pete Mitchell of Mitchell’s Ice Cream.

Retaining the parking lanes in the short stretch, the letter said, “would alleviate many of the concerns we are raising, retain West 25th Street as a ‘Main Street’ and allow the BRT to function well.”

A city spokesperson confirmed the mayor endorses the project as planned, but he said the city is “committed to continued dialogue.”

“Our goal is to support GCRTA’s delivery of a successful transit project while strengthening the Market District and supporting the long-term success of Ohio City,” the spokesperson said.

McNulty said the business group may next ask Ohio’s two U.S. Senators to block funding. Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer have reached out to the Senate offices.

RTA board members, who are appointed by the city, county and suburban mayors and city managers association, spoke positively of the project after hearing the update on Tuesday.

Schipper said the design work is now 90% complete.

The only stretches without bus-only lanes are for short distances near the interchanges with Interstates 71 and 90, near Clark Avenue, where it was determined that a left-turn lane would do more to alleviate delays than the bus-only lane, Schipper said.

Bus rapid transit was first introduced in Cleveland in 2008 on Euclid Avenue - the Health Line - as an alternative to what would have been far more expensive new rail service. The goal is to increase speed with fast-loading stations, stopping at fewer places than normal bus routes and incorporating bus-only lanes.

A second line through Lakewood and points west was added in 2014. It was originally called the Cleveland State Line, though that name is being phased out as the sponsorship agreement has expired.

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