Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Around the Block

Cleveland Clinic Lets Slip That the “Opportunity Corridor” Isn’t About Opportunity At All

11:56 AM EDT on July 18, 2017

The “Opportunity Corridor” is actually a road that will be gouged through poor neighborhoods so suburbanites can shave a few minutes off their car trips to the Cleveland Clinic. Image: Ohio DOT

Boosters of a new three-mile road that will be gouged through low-income black neighborhoods in Cleveland -- known euphemistically as the "Opportunity Corridor" -- have always insisted that the project is not about speeding car commutes for suburbanites who work at the Cleveland Clinic.

The very name "Opportunity Corridor" was a defense tactic to deflect criticism. How dare you impugn our motives, project supporters said, when this asphalt needs to be poured for the sake of the neighborhoods bisected by the road.

But in a recent Politico article, a representative of the Cleveland Clinic suggests that -- whoops -- the actual motivation was less than altruistic. Politico's Dan Diamond reports:

When asked about the project’s purpose, the Clinic’s top tour guide explained that the current road to campus 'goes through neighborhoods that people don’t want to go through' and the Opportunity Corridor would help staff and patients get to the hospital faster.

The Politico article highlights the deep distrust of the project and the hospital among residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. The Clinic's own tour guide confirmed those suspicions.

And yet throughout the process of planning and funding this road, Cleveland policy makers, elected officials, and civic leaders have remained largely supportive, saying that it will help attract investment to "forgotten" sections of the city. Meanwhile, critics -- myself included -- have pointed out that even if you take the project at face value, it's just rehashing discredited 1950's-era notions of "urban renewal."

America's original highway-building spree fueled segregation, tearing up black neighborhoods so white suburbanites could have driving access to the city. Cleveland's so-called "Opportunity Corridor" is perpetuating that legacy.

More recommended reading today: If you want to learn more about the Opportunity Corridor and what it says about Cleveland politics, Chris Stocking has an in-depth look. And City Observatory points out the hypocrisy of employers that go to great lengths to make their buildings green but still supply free parking.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Beyond Greenways

This week we’re joined by Bob Searns to talk about his new book and grand ideas for walking trails that circle whole regions and more local routes that make up a new mode of green infrastructure in cities.

September 28, 2023

Thursday’s Headlines Are Inside Out

Cars and trucks are getting safer for drivers and passengers, but people outside the vehicles are increasingly in danger.

September 28, 2023

New Federal Committee Will Push for Transportation Equity By Helping DOT Reckon With Its Past

“No one alive today is necessarily responsible for the origins of the [transportation] inequities that we inherited. But everybody who was alive today and in a position of responsibility, is accountable for what we do about it. That's why we're here.” 

September 28, 2023

Report: America’s Historic Bike Boom is Flatlining

"This growth won't continue forever without being facilitated by more infrastructure investment, [and particularly] safety infrastructure."

September 28, 2023

SF Advocates Explore How Enhancing Disability Access on Transit Helps for Everyone

BART was the first accessible transit system in the country. Advocates want Bay Area transit agencies to do better at keeping buses and trains accessible for all.

September 27, 2023
See all posts