RTA in Public Square

A bus shelter is temporarily closed on Superior Avenue on Jan. 2, 2017. (Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer)

(Lisa DeJong)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A letter from RTA to the federal government indicates that Public Square eventually will reopen to buses, but the city of Cleveland has not yet agreed to the return.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is asking the federal government for more time to reopen the square while it works with the city on lingering safety and security issues.

RTA CEO Joe Calabrese in a letter to the Federal Transit Administration on Thursday requested an extension beyond the Feb. 21 deadline so that RTA can implement "safety and traffic control physical changes that may need to be made if Public Square is to be opened."

"This requested time extension will enable local decision makers to continue to work toward a safe and secure reopening of Public Square to bus traffic," Calabrese wrote in a letter to Robert Tuccillo, associate administrator for budget and policy for the FTA.

Calabrese did not specify a length of time for the extension. If granted, the extension would be the second for Public Square.

The city of Cleveland and RTA are reviewing the traffic and safety studies that have been completed on the square and need more time to put into place safety and security measures that address concerns outlined in the studies, he explained.

To improve pedestrian safety:

The city and RTA will develop and implement a plan to enforce bus-only traffic through the square and to deter jaywalking.

The city would add double yellow and white lane markings to Superior Avenue through the square.

The city would add more pedestrian crossing signs.

A temporary, removable railing system to channel pedestrians to crosswalks would be designed and built.

RTA would need to provide training to all bus operators.

The city would need to improve ADA-compliant pavement markings.

The city and RTA will need to coordinate the street's reopening with special event organizers.

The city and RTA also are developing a plan to increase security on Superior Avenue, Calabrese said.

"I assure you that the parties are working together aggressively to complete the process and make appropriate recommendations to address all safety, homeland security and traffic control concerns," Calabrese wrote.

When asked late Thursday if the extension request means that Public Square will reopen to buses, the city and RTA said that had not yet been determined.

"The process will determine that. We're not there yet," said Dan Williams, media relations director for the city. "Until we get through the process, we do not know what will happen."

The two groups plan to go over safety and security with buses on Public Square Feb. 20.

What's been happening

The square has been closed to buses since Aug. 1, when Jackson chose to ban buses in favor of a unified Public Square. Jackson has said he would reopen the square to bus traffic if there were no way to keep it closed without harming RTA's operations or bottom line, and if RTA addresses the city's safety concerns.

RTA is on the clock from the FTA to either reopen Superior Avenue through the square to buses or to repay $12 million in federal grants it received for the the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project by Feb. 21.

Because the city will not permit buses to cross Public Square, RTA is not upholding its end of the funding deal it made for the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project, the FTA asserts. The Euclid Corridor Transportation Project established the HealthLine, which runs down Euclid Avenue and ends in Public Square.

Jackson has said RTA has not been acting in good faith about Public Square and, ultimately, has slowed down the process of reopening the square.