NOACA to Consider Funding Cleveland’s West 73rd Street Extension A project to extend West 73rd Street in Cleveland, providing public access to the Lake Erie shoreline and opening new recreational and social opportunities to residents of west side neighborhoods, has been planned and could be ready to construct in January 2013. At its meeting on June 8, 2012, the NOACA Governing Board will consider contributing $27 million to help fund the project, which is a component of the comprehensive Lakefront West plan. The project includes construction of a bicycle/pedestrian path that will link the West 73rd Street extension to an existing tunnel under the West Shoreway, providing multi-modal access to the lake and other destinations. This project had been scheduled to receive Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Major/New construction funding from the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC), but TRAC pushed the project back to 2026. NOACA funding assistance will allow the project to progress to the construction stage. The city of Cleveland has committed $7 million to the project. At Friday’s meeting, the Board will also consider adding 24 new projects to Connections 2030, the long-range transportation plan, and 21 of those projects to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for state fiscal years 2012–2015. The TIP is the comprehensive, four-year listing of federal-aid highway, transit and bikeway projects scheduled for implementation in NOACA’s region (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina Counties). A sampling of projects for Board consideration include: Cuyahoga County – Rehabilitate the Tower City Bridges in Cleveland Geauga County – Resurface Pettibone Road from the Cuyahoga/Geauga County line to SR-306 in Bainbridge Township Lake County – Laketran vehicle replacement program for calendar years 2013-2015 Lorain County – Construct a shared use path in Amherst Medina County – Improvements at the SR-57/SR-252 intersection in York Township “With Governing Board approval, approximately $85 million in transportation improvements will be added to the region’s transportation plan,” notes Howard R. Maier, NOACA’s executive director. “This significant investment in northeast Ohio’s road and transit systems will help the region’s economy and quality of life.” Details about all of these projects can be viewed on NOACA’s website at http://www.noaca.org/jun2012ppr.html The June 8 Governing Board meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m., earlier than usual, at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University. NOACA’s Executive Committee will meet prior to the Board meeting at 8:00 a.m. After the Board meeting, NOACA will conduct its 13th annual Summit, Moving Into a New Era, which will also take place at the Wolstein Center. The keynote address for the Summit, an update on the “New, Improved Cuyahoga County”, will be delivered by Cuyahoga County Executive Edward FitzGerald. NOACA’s Board meeting agenda and packet of materials is available on NOACA’s Web site at www.noaca.org/boardjune2012.pdf For more information, call Cheryl Onesky, Senior Communications Specialist, at 216-241-2414, ext 221; or Jonathan Giblin, Director of Programs, at ext. 346.