Buckeye–Woodhill station

Buckeye–Woodhill is a station on the RTA Blue and Green Lines in Cleveland, Ohio. It is located at the intersection of Woodhill Road, Buckeye Road and Shaker Boulevard.

Buckeye Woodhill
light rail station
Location9528 Buckeye Road,
Cleveland, Ohio
Coordinates41°28′58″N 81°37′7″W
Owned byGreater Cleveland RTA
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections RTA: 10, 11
Construction
Structure typeAt grade
Parking33 spaces[1]
Disabled access Yes
Other information
WebsiteBuckeye - Woodhill Rapid Station
History
OpenedApril 11, 1920 (Blue Line)
August 16, 1920 (Green Line)[2]
RebuiltOctober 30, 1981[3]
October 23, 2012[4]
Previous namesWoodhill (1920–2012)
Original companyCleveland Interurban Railroad
Services
Preceding station Rapid Transit Following station
East 79th
toward Tower City
 Blue Line East 116th–St. Luke's
toward Warrensville–Van Aken
Green Line East 116th–St. Luke's
toward Green Road

The station comprises side platforms below grade west of the intersection. Two concrete stairways, one on the north from Buckeye Road and the second on the south from Woodhill Road, lead down to the platforms. There is a small parking lot north of the platforms off Buckeye Road.

History

The station opened on April 11, 1920 as Woodhill, when service commenced on the line west of Shaker Square to East 34th Street and via surface streets to downtown.[5]

The station was located at the mouth of a cut over one mile (1.6 km) in length from Shaker Square. The cut averages 25 feet (7.6 m) in depth, but just before Buckeye–Woodhill it is up to 40 feet (12 m) deep, with a 2.44 percent incline down from the Shaker Square (the steepest grade on the line). The line was constructed with a tunnel under the intersection of Buckeye and Woodhill Roads, which was built without disturbing the automobile and streetcar traffic above. The location of the tunnel dictated the placement of the line.[6]

The material excavated from the cut was used to create an embankment to carry the tracks over the railroad tracks and streets west of Buckeye–Woodhill. The embankment is high as 50 feet (15 m) at places. The cut and fill provide the means for the trains to traverse the Portage Escarpment that separates much of the city of Cleveland from suburbs such as Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights.

The station in July 2007.

In 1980 and 1981, the trunk line of the Green and Blue Lines from East 55th Street to Shaker Square was completely renovated with new track, ballast, poles and wiring, and new stations were built along the line. At Buckeye–Woodhill, new platforms were installed, and the wooden stairways were replaced by concrete stairways covered by tinted acrylic glass canopies. The renovated line opened on October 30, 1981.[3]

Between 2011 and 2012, the RTA renovated Buckeye–Woodhill once more with funding received as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The platforms were renovated with tactile edges installed, the covered stairways were replaced with ones of a more contemporary design and appearance, and new wheelchair ramps were installed, making the station ADA accessible. The rebuilt station was dedicated on October 23, 2012.[4]

Station layout
G Street level Woodhill Road exit/entrance, buses
P
Platform level		 Street level Buckeye Road exit/entrance, parking
Side platform
Westbound ←           Blue Line, Green Line toward Tower City (East 79th)
Eastbound ←      Blue Line toward Warrensville–Van Aken (East 116th–St. Luke's) →
←      Green Line toward Green Road (East 116th–St. Luke's) →
Side platform

Notable places nearby

References
  1. "Buckeye–Woodhill Rapid Station". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  2. Electric Railways of Northeastern Ohio. Central Electric Railfans' Association. September 1965. p. 91.
  3. Toman (1990). p. 115.
  4. http://www.riderta.com/newsroom/releases/?listingid=1798
  5. Toman, James (1990). The Shaker Heights Rapid Transit. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. p. 22. ISBN 0-916374-95-5.
  6. Toman (1990). p. 20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.