![Protests in Public Square during the RNC. [Matt Richmond / ideastream]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1b20368/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1592+0+0/resize/840x446!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F2%2F20%2Fpublic_square_RNC_web.jpg)
The City of Cleveland now has until March 7 to reopen Public Square to buses or the city’s bus agency will be forced to repay $12 million to the federal government.
The FTA’s previously extended deadline was set for Feb. 21. But in a letter sent last week to request more time, RTA laid out the steps still required before Public Square is opened.
They include training bus drivers on traveling through the square, painting lane lines on Superior Avenue, installing railings and traffic signs and undefined steps to increase security.
The FTA granted a two-week extension on Friday and said it will be the last one before debt collection actions begin.
City of Cleveland spokesman Dan Williams says the city is working to follow the proper procedure for reopening the square.
The stretch of Superior that runs through Public Square is part of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project, for which RTA received $142.8 million in grants from the federal government.
