Background
Since 2021, dozens of people have been seriously injured or killed in traffic crashes along E. 55th Street. The street is currently wider than needed for the amount of traffic using it, with few crossing opportunities for pedestrians. This encourages high speeds and dangerous driving.
The City of Cleveland and partners are studying safety improvements along E. 55th Street from Dolloff Road (just south of Broadway Avenue) to North Marginal Road. We expect these to include enhancements to control vehicle speeds and make the street more pleasant to walk and bike along, including separated bike lanes, improved pedestrian crossings, better lighting, and more. This page will help you learn more about the project and share your feedback!
Project Area
Project Goals & Values
- Prioritize safety and accessibility for all by:
- Designing the street for safe vehicle speeds
- Adding pedestrian infrastructure like more crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands
- Creating a low stress bike path connecting neighborhoods along E. 55th Street to Lake Erie
- Make the street look nicer and more inviting, considering locations for street trees & other greenery
- Understand and support the area's current and future development needs
- Promote health, equity, and sustainability
Plan Timeframe & Objectives
Between September 2024 and January 2025, the City and project partners will work to accomplish the following plan objectives:
- Confirm recommended corridor cross section and plan view concepts of high-crash hot spots and identify how recommendations align with FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures.
- Develop plan for separated bike lanes that are implementable using quick-build strategies.
- Identify specific pedestrian safety problems and enhancements that are required.
- Determine required intersection treatments and safety enhancements.
- Identify challenge areas for more detailed design work.
- Provide cost estimate and timeline for quick build implementation.
- Build and inform the community support needed to move to implementation quickly.
Engagement
Get involved by taking the Project Survey linked below!
Do you own a business located on or near E. 55th Street? If so, we'd love to hear from you through the Business Owner Survey below!
Throughout September and October, we'll be out at community events in neighborhoods around the E. 55th Street corridor to let people know about the project and collect your feedback! Here's a list of events we'll be attending:
| Event | Location | Date | Time |
| Rooms to Let | 5620 Broadway Ave. Cleveland, OH, 44127 | 9/14 & 9/15 | 12-6pm |
| E. 55th Street Rapid Station Pop-up | 2880 E 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44127 | 10/7 | 4-5:30pm |
| McDonalds Pop-up | 1540 E 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44103 | 10/11 | 12-2pm |
| Goldhorn Brewery Pop-up | 1361 E 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44103 | 10/17 | 3:30-5:30pm |
| Northern Ohio Recovery Association | 1400 E 55th St, Cleveland, OH 44103 | 10/18 | 11am-12:30pm |
| Crispy Chick Pop-up | 5618 Woodland Ave, Cleveland, OH 44104 | 10/25 | 12-2pm |
| This list will be updated regularly with our event schedule | |||
Existing Conditions
The following are some quick facts about how E. 55th Street operates today:
- There were 894 crashes (with 31 serious injuries and 9 deaths) on E. 55th between Broadway Ave and North Marginal Rd (~4.5 miles) from 2021-2024
- Over 40% of cars travel above the 35 mph speed limit according to ODOT data
- The current traffic volume on this road is only about half of what the road was designed to handle
The takeaway: The street is currently wider than needed for the amount of traffic using it, with few crossing opportunities for pedestrians. This encourages high speeds and dangerous driving, contributing to the high rates of fatal and serious injury crashes we see on E. 55th Street compared to other streets in Cleveland.
Potential Solutions
Through this plan, we are exploring the possibility of completing a "road diet" on E. 55th Street. This may include reducing the number of travel lanes in each direction, adding a center turn lane, and adding separated bike lanes.
Right now, we don't have too many separated bike lanes in Cleveland, but we anticipate adding them to many streets across the City over the next few years. So, what are separated bike lanes and how will they help address the roadway safety problems we have on many of our roads?
Separated bike lanes provide a horizontal buffer and vertical barriers between cars and bike riders. They are proven to improve safety for everyone on the road, not just bike riders! Here's what the data say about separated bike lanes:
- Reduce average maximum vehicle speed by 28%
- Reduce crashes for all modes by 30-50%
- Cities with dedicated bike lanes had 44% fewer traffic deaths and 50% fewer serious injuries
See the cross-section and rendering below to get a sense of what E. 55th Street would look like after these changes.
