A new policy passed by transportation planners will impact how highway interchanges are approved in five Northeast Ohio counties.
NOACA’s new policy aims to better evaluate how land and transportation resources are used through enhanced data analysis. The policy also looks at the impact of new interchanges on the whole region and their short and long term implications.
Executive director and CEO Grace Gallucci says their overall goal is to better assess quality of life, emphasizing how these changes impact racial minorities and low income populations.
“When we talk about equity and evaluating the regional impacts, we’re also looking at environmental protection. We’re looking at economic development and overall fiscal responsibility.”
Gallucci says the new policy will bring positive changes to the area.
“There really is no negative implications, meaning that there is no harm in performing further analysis to provide better data and more objective data to make better decisions, and that’s really the crux of the policy.”
The new policy will apply to all future decisions in Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Lorain and Medina Counties. That includes a proposed new interchange in Medina at Ohio 57 and I-71.
