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.