NOACA Governing Board Approves New Transportation Projects Cleveland—At its meeting today, the Governing Board of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) approved adding 15 transportation improvement projects to Connections 2030, the long-range transportation plan, and 12 of those projects to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 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). Among projects added to the plan and TIP are: • Cuyahoga County – Replace the bridge decks of the twin I-480 bridges in Valley View and Independence, estimated total cost $89 million • City of Cleveland – Replace the East 79th Street Bridge over N & S railroad and RTA tracks, $8.5 million • Lake County – Resurface Hubbard Road from North Ridge Road to Lake Road in Madison Township, $2.1 million • Lorain County – Reconfigure the I-90/SR-57 interchange and improve portions of SR-57 in Elyria, $28 million • Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority – Introduce C-Line and Rock-Line fare-free Cleveland trolleys to serve customers in the evening and on weekends, $3.6 million In addition, Board members moved two other projects to the State Fiscal Years 2012 – 2015 TIP that were previously approved for the long-range plan: • Repair and resurface Belvoir Boulevard from Fairmount Road to Mayfield Road in University Heights and South Euclid, $3.2 million; and • Paint the Brooklyn Brighton Bridge over Big Creek and the N & S railroad in Cleveland, $2.2 million “With Governing Board approval, approximately $206.5 million in transportation improvements will be added to the region’s transportation plan,” says Howard R. Maier, NOACA 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 the proposed projects can be viewed on NOACA’s website at www.noaca.org/dec2011ppr.html. The Governing Board also amended Clean Water 2000 to update the Village of Madison/Lake County wastewater treatment Facility Planning Area (FPA) boundary. FPA boundaries are distinct geographic planning areas that allow for the study of various alternatives to treating and disposing of wastewater. Clean Water 2000 is the EPA-approved water quality plan for northeast Ohio. It allows for changes in wastewater treatment FPA boundaries subject to NOACA approval.