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Nearly two years after his previous visit, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood returned to ������Ƶ, Ohio, on March 8, 2013, to tour the construction site of the new ������Ƶ Central Gateway multimodal transit center and celebrate the redevelopment of downtown ������Ƶ. ������Ƶ President Lester A. Lefton, ������Ƶ State Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Gregg Floyd, and ������Ƶ 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 ������Ƶ in welcoming LaHood back to ������Ƶ. The group gave the transportation secretary a tour of the new ������Ƶ Central Gateway that is under construction. A brief press conference followed the tour.

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

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

LaHood’s prior visit to ������Ƶ was in July 2010 when he toured downtown ������Ƶ’s Acorn Alley and the future site of the ������Ƶ 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 ������Ƶ State. Ryan and LaHood acknowledged the three local project partners: ������Ƶ State, PARTA and the city of ������Ƶ. “You’ve got a great project here,” LaHood said. A ceremonial grant agreement signing took place following speaking remarks.

In February 2010, Ryan announced that the ������Ƶ 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 ������Ƶ and reconnects the central business district with the ������Ƶ 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 ������Ƶ Central Gateway project is estimated to stimulate $60 million worth of new investment, both public and private, in ������Ƶ and create more than 250 construction jobs during construction of the project. It is located next to the ������Ƶ Hotel and Conference Center, which is also under construction.

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