The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) broke ground Oct. 22 for the newest station on its rail Red Line: Little Italy-University Circle.

“This project, which will significantly increase access to the Little Italy/University Circle neighborhoods by individuals from across the region, is a model of how civic, institutional, development, and political entities can and should work cooperatively together to make a vision of something really great a reality,” said GCRTA General Manager Joseph Calabrese.

The new station will replace the existing East 120th Street and Euclid Avenue Station, providing a direct link to University Circle from Tower City downtown, all the way to the airport. The old station will remain in use until the new station is complete.

GCRTA awarded a contract for $11.11 million for construction of a single platform headhouse and entrance plaza that complies with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements; a heavy-duty elevator and stairway from the street level to the platform and waiting areas; and new concrete sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, and bridge abutment repairs. This project will include demolition of an existing private steel railroad bridge. Of this amount, 80 percent ($8.9 million) comes from a federal TIGER III grant.

A GCRTA planning document explains how the new station will serve as a center of neighborhood development, complementing plans being undertaken by the city and other organizations. The station is expected to serve Case Western Reserve University’s Urban Arts and Retail District, the new Museum of Contemporary Art, the expanded Cleveland Institute of Art, and University Hospital.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson speaks at ground-breaking ceremonies for GCRTA’s Little Italy-University Circle Station.