In 2004, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) retained a consultant, HNTB, to conduct a study to improve access between Interstate 490, the neighborhoods in southeast Cleveland, and University Circle.

With $1 billion in planned improvements and limited land available for development in the University Circle area, there is a need to improve access to this and the surrounding areas. Nearby neighborhoods and businesses have suffered decline over the past 60 years due to loss of manufacturing jobs, shifts in modes of transportation, and isolation from the Interstate system. As a result, areas such as the “Forgotten Triangle” have a large percentage of vacant properties and land banked parcels which will require investment for future development.

ODOT estimates it could cost $200-300 million to build a new road — possibly a six lane boulevard with a grassy center median, in what has been termed the Opportunity Corridor.

While former ODOT Director Gordon Proctor believed that the road will stimulate Cleveland's economy, he acknowledged that ODOT will not finance the Corridor's construction (it will only commit $5 million to plan the route). Proctor hoped the business community and TIFFs will fund the road.

However, unlike an I-90 interchange at Avon, Richard Jacobs doesn’t own 200 acres of land in Central and is probably not willing to invest $10 million in the Opportunity Corridor. So, serious questions remain about which businesses would be partners in the Opportunity Corridor? Also, the corridor runs through Cleveland's Ward 5, where reportedly residents are opposed to adding a road to primarily serve truck traffic.

The study corridor runs generally parallel to the existing railroad transportation corridor containing Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) Red Line and freight tracks owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Corporation and CSX.

Because of the proximity to the Red Line, some transit advocates would like to study ways of combining the Rapid with the Opportunity Corridor, possibly bringing the rail line up to street level and creating transit-oriented developments around stations. The first step might be to look at the new E. 55th Street Red Line station currently under development — will proposals to move the station further south help align it with a future Opportunity Corridor?

Another issue, says Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman, is that the Opportunity Corridor road should be taken into account before ODOT decides which exit and entrance ramps should be closed along the Innerbelt, particularly the closing of exits at Prospect and Superior. How much traffic will be diverted away from downtown needs to be more closely studied, Cimperman adds.

What other issues does the potential Opportunity Corridor raise? The biggest is this road building project may be putting the cart before the horse. The residents and businesses in the 'Forgotten Triangle' have not been asked what they want the area to become, HNTB concluded in its study, and so a Forgotten Triangle Master Plan is the first step they recommend:

The core of the study area, the Forgotten Triangle, does not have a master plan (this was very clear during the meeting with Tim Tramble. Ed note: Tramble is Executive Director of Burten, Bell, Carr a non-profit development corp. that works in this part of town). The boulevard will have a major impact on this area; however, there is no master plan to guide any revitalization efforts. Residents have not determined what the future of this area should be. Residents need to be engaged to determine the future of this area; but that is not within the scope of our study. We have just identified a need.

ODOT's consultants add that the Forgotten Triangle's 900 acres of developable parcels of land can include a mix of residential, industrial and open/green space in a transit-oriented development plan. They write:

• By giving the Forgotten Triangle a “main street,” a framework to create a place is established where none exists today.
• The boulevard will provide improved access to the neighborhoods and link the industrial opportunity sites to the regional distribution network.
• The boulevard appears to provide the opportunity for the area to go back to what it once was - good jobs and strong housing which historically follow good access.
• A resident driven master plan needs to be done for the Forgotten Triangle and adjacent areas.
• With the upgrading of the train stations, there may be an opportunity for transit oriented development at 55th, Buckeye, and 105th, and 79th.

Resources

• HNTB study seeks input of 'Forgotten Triangle' residents
• Cuyahoga County Greenprint map (planning for green space) in Opportunity Corridor (pdf)

Updates

From the August, 2008 Mayor's Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee: The Opportunity Corridor would accommodate bikes in some way—either bike lanes or a bike path that parallels the road. City Planning Commission is going to be working on a “Complete Streets” resolution over the next year. "If that comes first, then, I assume we would be looking for a complete street on the OC," says Marty Cader of city planning.