Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority buses started running through Public Square early this morning for the first time in nearly two years. Buses had been rerouted around the square while the downtown landmark was being renovated. After the work was completed last summer, Mayor Frank Jackson had banned buses from crossing through because of safety concerns.
RTA spokesperson Linda Krecic says bus riders on Public Square have new crosswalks and signage, and there are new traffic lights to keep things flowing. And she says while buses are allowed to drive through the square again, cars are not.
“There will be four lanes of traffic, and the two center lanes will be used by the buses that are driving straight through, and the two outer lanes will be used by the four routes that have stops in the square. So they’ll see traffic there, but there will not be any cars going through there.”
The closure to buses had prompted the Federal Transit Administration to threaten a $12 million fine against RTA, because prohibiting buses was a violation of a funding agreement for a Cleveland public transportation project.
