RTA news

May 27, 2009

Editors: artwork available on request

Ground broken for new Puritas Station

CLEVELAND � A groundbreaking ceremony was held today for a new $9.6 million Red Line rail station at 4200 W. 150^th St. and Puritas Avenue. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, other elected officials, and neighborhood leaders attended.

The station, operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), is one of the first significant projects in Ohio to benefit from federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Timetable:

May � 18 months of construction begins
Fall 2010 � Work will be completed.

The station � a key West Side location with direct access to I-71 and Hopkins International Airport -- will remain open throughout construction.

Built in 1966, it is an important hub and connection to several RTA bus routes:

� #70 Bunts-West 150

� #78 West 98th � Puritas

� #809 Kamm�s - Puritas Community Circulator.

Station background.

The site includes 558 parking spaces. Some RTA land is leased to the adjacent National City Bank operations center and La Quinta Inn.

About 900 people board at the station daily, placing the station as one of RTA�s top five for Red Line ridership. Ridership is expected to increase when Inner Belt construction begins.

The new station was designed by the DeWolff Partnership Architects with strong community input from development corporations at Bellaire-Puritas and Kamm�s Corners. Features include:

A 2,500-square foot main entrance building with a brick grand foyer and a rounded portico outlined in sandstone.
A 30-foot tower and two elevators for ADA access.
A 130-foot bridge that brings passengers over the Rapid tracks to the boarding platform.
A smaller, secondary entrance on the residential West 154^th Street.
Public art, including a ceramic tile mosaic inside the main building by Dr. Murphy Ajayi. Functional art will include seating, lighting and fence details by a collaboration of artists.

By law, federal stimulus money must be used for capital improvements, and cannot be used for operating expenses.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:

Jerry Masek, 216-566-5211