CLEVELAND (December 9, 2022) – NOACA announced its Transportation Improvement Program’s (TIP) projects and funding recommendations for State Fiscal Years (SFY) 2024-2027 at its regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting today.

The proposed TIP will be in effect during the fiscal period that runs from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027, and will contain infrastructure and multimodal transportation projects addressing automobile, bicycle, pedestrian, road, bridges, and public transit needs that will be scheduled for implementation within the five counties NOACA serves, including Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina. The TIP will include projects supported by NOACA funds and by other federal funds controlled through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and by other governmental agencies.

Under the SFY 2024-2027 TIP development process, NOACA accessed the needs of 400 projects totaling $128 million available for funding. Priority was given to projects contained in NOACA’s eNEO2050 long-range plan, as well as those aligned with established state and federal transportation performance management initiatives.

Regional project impacts include:

• 80 miles of roadway improved and enhanced
• 100,000 sq. ft. deck area improved for 3 bridges
• 4 miles of streetscape and bike/pedestrian improvements
• 3 rail car replacements

In addition to increasing NOACA’s Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Transportation Alternatives (TA) formula allocations, NOACA included the established Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) from the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act. CRP provides funds for projects designed to reduce transportation emissions, defined as carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. NOACA will receive an allocation of $4.5 million annually to insert this program into the TIP. An overall total of $26 million is available from the CRP through SFY 2027.

Projects established under the CRP include the following:

NOACA's Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI), which provides assistance to communities and public agencies for integrated transportation and land-use planning and projects that strengthen community livability. A total of $13,303,981 will be allocated to various regional projects.

A few noted regional TLCI projects include the Cleveland Lakefront Connector and Lakefront Connector Trail. The Lakefront Connector involves the construction of a continuous shared-use path along North Marginal Road in the City of Cleveland, stretching from downtown at East 9th Street to the existing bikeway facilities along Lake Erie at East 55th Street. This would complete a critical gap in the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, a regionally significant trail.

The Lakefront Connector Trail will be the last link connecting pedestrians and cyclists from Downtown Cleveland to the Harrison Dillard Trail, which provides direct access to University Circle, the city’s hub for culture and higher education. The trail will provide an alternative transportation mode in addition to public recreational benefits.

Additional paving projects include:

• Lee Road in Shaker Heights and Cleveland (includes bike/pedestrian improvements) ($1,127,771)
• Warrensville Center Road in South Euclid and University Heights ($5,305,856)
• Hayden Avenue in East Cleveland ($3,650,015)
• Bell Street in South Russell Village (includes bike/pedestrian improvements) ($1,019,769)
• US-20 (Euclid Avenue) in Wickliffe ($3,730,119)
• Tower Boulevard in Lorain ($3,089,775)
• Greenwich Road in Seville, Guilford Township, Wadsworth Township and Wadsworth ($2,612,555)

Public Transit projects include:

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Rail Car Replacement (Years 5, 6, and 7 of a 10-Year Program) ($7,220,000)

The recommended program of projects will commit a total of $134 million of NOACA STBG, TA and CR program funds for SFYs 2024 through 2027. The recommended program of projects will be incorporated into the final draft SFY 2024-2027 TIP to be reviewed in January 2023 and approved at the March 2023 Board of Directors meeting.

View the full list of projects, here. 

About Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is a transportation and environmental planning agency that represents state, county, city, village, and township officials in Greater Cleveland. NOACA addresses the transportation, air quality, and water quality needs of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. The agency and its partners cooperatively develop and implement plans to ensure that travel throughout the region is safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound. NOACA’s vision is to STRENGTHEN regional cohesion, PRESERVE existing infrastructure, and BUILD a sustainable multimodal transportation system to SUPPORT economic development and ENHANCE quality of life in Northeast Ohio. To learn more about NOACA, visit www.noaca.org.