CLEVELAND — The connection between Downtown Cleveland and the city’s waterfront is severed after the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) suspended the waterfront line indefinitely over safety concerns about the line’s bridge on the Flats East Bank.
The suspension of the line comes before the Browns season when many fans depend on the waterfront line to get to FirstEnergy Stadium.
“This is very inconvenient. It's never been there when we've needed it. And honestly, the general neglect for the line, considering what it is, is pretty astonishing,” said Divya Agarwala, who uses the line.
The RTA announced a temporary closure of the line in October 2020 for track rehabilitation. A four-month-long inspection of the waterfront bridge was undertaken. The results showed the bridge needs $6 million of repairs.
“Making people walk from Tower City to Browns Stadium to (The) Flats to any of these points is not convenient, not good for pedestrians. And considering the traffic patterns around here, I would even say a little bit dangerous,” said Agarwala.
When News 5 asked RTA about any backup plans for game days, an RTA spokesperson said no buses will be running.
“With all of those people, we can't have our vehicles. They can't navigate with the people. Not to mention we don't want the risk. So we cannot do anything other than have some wayfinding signs and the signage on our website," a spokesperson for the RTA replied.
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