��������

Nearly two years after his previous visit, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood returned to �������� on Friday, March 8, to tour the construction site of the new �������� Central Gateway multimodal transit center and celebrate the redevelopment of downtown ��������. �������� President Lester A. Lefton, �������� State Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Gregg Floyd, and �������� State Vice President for General Counsel and Governmental Affairs Willis Walker joined Congressman Tim Ryan, officials from PARTA (Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority) and the city of �������� in welcoming LaHood back to ��������. The group gave the transportation secretary a tour of the new �������� Central Gateway that is under construction. A brief press conference followed the tour.

LaHood says he celebrates the vision of the �������� community and how “if you build it, they will come.”

“Congratulations, ��������,” LaHood says. “You have a lot to be proud of.”

LaHood’s prior visit to �������� was in July 2010 when he toured downtown ��������’s Acorn Alley and the future site of the �������� Central Gateway project. Afterward, a press conference was held outside the PARTA offices where Ryan and LaHood talked about the significance of the project that will help create a vibrant downtown and unite the city and �������� State. Ryan and LaHood acknowledged the three local project partners: �������� State, PARTA and the city of ��������.

In February 2010, Ryan announced that the �������� Central Gateway project had received a $20 million grant from LaHood’s agency through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project serves as a catalyst for the revitalization and redevelopment of downtown �������� and reconnects the central business district with the �������� State campus.

Expected to be completed this summer, the multimodal transportation facility will combine elements of buses, pedestrians, bicycles and cars. It will serve as a transfer point that allows bus transport to Akron, Cleveland and all points in Portage County. Situated at Erie and Depeyster streets with a curb cut into Haymaker Parkway, the �������� Central Gateway project is estimated to stimulate $60 million worth of new investment, both public and private, in �������� and create more than 250 construction jobs during construction of the project. It is located next to the �������� Hotel and Conference Center, which is also under construction.

Back in February 2010 when the $20 million TIGER grant for the �������� Central Gateway was announced, Lefton said that this sets into motion all of the other development projects planned for downtown ��������, including the hotel and conference center. He also commented that the �������� Central Gateway project is “a huge, transformative event in the life of ��������, the university and Portage County.”