Cleveland RTA - Euclid Corridor Project

Euclid Corridor Project

In 2005, RTA began building a bus rapid transit line along Euclid Avenue from Public Square to University Circle and then to East Cleveland. This was originally to be a subway line running under Euclid Avenue, but the high cost of such a project caused it to be reduced in scope, resulting in the current bus rapid transit project. The Euclid Corridor project also included a complete rebuild of Euclid Avenue from storefront to storefront, bringing with it new sidewalks, landscaping and trees, lighting, and a large public art initiative, that proponents of the project hope will spur investment in the city's traditional main thoroughfare.

The Euclid Corridor Vehicles (ECV) operate in an exclusive center median busway from Public Square to East 107th Street and transitioning curbside through University Circle to the Windermere Rapid Transit Station in East Cleveland, one of RTA's most highly used facilities. The ECVs connect services to the Red Line and other service routes. These low-floor, articulated 62 feet (19 m) buses are quiet, environmentally friendly, and served by a low-sulfur-diesel engine to power smaller electrical motors mounted near the wheels of the vehicles. A few of these buses have been ordered with a standard Allison B500R6 transmission instead of the Hybrid propulsion system.

Included in the project was funding for the integration of several public art components. In addition to art installations and other aesthetic improvements, more than a dozen interactive touchscreen kiosks were placed along the corridor. Each kiosk includes transit timetables and RTA news, as well as audiovisual exhibits focusing on the history of Euclid Avenue and the city of Cleveland. More than 60 historical sites, themes, and people are represented on the kiosks, which utilize oral history audio, historic and contemporary images, and brief historical essays to curate the city's history. The kiosks were created by the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities in the history department at Cleveland State University and were designed by Epstein Design Partners in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Naming rights for the line were purchased by the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals for twenty-five years. The BRT route, originally named the "Silver Line", which serves the two major health industry employers in Cleveland, is named the HealthLine.

As sections were completed, they were opened to traffic; the entire stretch within the project area was open by October 24, 2008 as part of its grand opening October 24–26, 2008.