CLEVELAND -- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is planning to build a new Brookpark Rapid Station on the Cleveland-Brook Park border, near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This is RTA's highest ridership rail station.

Overview

• Address: 18010 Brookpark Road,
• Design: 75 percent complete. Should be finished in mid-2013.
• Design firm: Bialosky + Partners.
• Design cost: $1.2 million, June 2009. Paid with federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
• Design approvaled: by planning officials in both Cleveland and Brook Park.
• Budget: $16.5 million
• Construction: RTA is seeking $11.3 million in federal funding. Construction could begin in September 2013 and be completed in March 2015.
• Station age: 44.

Parking lot upgrade

• Size: Space for parking 1,000+ cars, and a bus transfer area.
• Grant: $2.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to maintain "a state of good repair."
• When: In 2013, RTA will rebuild the parking lot.

ADA upgrade for station

The reconstruction will be fully ADA compliant and include upgrades to the existing tunnel, new elevator core, rail platform, and passenger waiting areas. The new design includes:

• Both the eastern and western entrances.
• New platform and canopies.
• A new tunnel under the existing freight railroad tracks, from the parking area to the entry building.
• Re-orientation of the parking area to increase pedestrian and parking safety.
• Landscaping and wider sidewalks throughout the site.
• Enhanced passenger waiting areas, both inside and outside the station.
• Additional lighting, security systems and cameras to enhance security.
• Use of green/sustainability design principles.

Background

This is the last station on the Red Line before the airport. Because of its location in the southwest part of the county, nearby connections to I-480 and I-71, the number of bus routes it serves, and the abundant supply of 600+ parking spaces, it is an important station in RTA's network. About 1,400 customers board there daily — more than at any other station except Tower City.

The station opened on April 20, 1969, as part of a four-mile extension of the heavy rail Red Line to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The historic extension to Hopkins — the first direct rail connection between a center city and an airport in the Western Hemisphere — actually opened on Nov. 15, 1968, with national TV coverage. Work on the Brookpark Station had not been completed, so the Cleveland Transit System (CTS) opened the station about six months after the Red Line was completed.

To meet requirements of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), RTA constructed a western entrance to the station in 2003. Work included additional parking and universal accessibility. A $946,000 contract was awarded to the Cold Harbor Building Co. of Chardon. One-third of the work was federally funded.

In 2005, RTA began to market the 15.5-acre site for development. Its proximity to Hopkins International Airport, Brookpark Road, I-71 and I-480 provide it with an excellent location. RTA officials want to incorporate the principles of transit-oriented development (TOD) to create a destination for transit riders, provide RTA customers with added conveniences, and expand the economy with jobs and investment.