When Shaker Boulevard east of Warrensville Center Road was laid out by the Van Sweringen brothers in the 1920s, it included a broad median strip with room for four rapid transit tracks as well as a high-speed automobile parkway.

A second track was added to the extension in 1942 when increased ridership during World War II made single-track operation no longer feasible.

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency complained that the project would primarily benefit the more affluent parts of the community while residents of the entire county would bear its cost.

There were also arguments that the extension would only serve a low-population-density area, although the park-and-ride connection with the interstate highway provided a potential for increased ridership from throughout the eastern suburbs.

Additional portions of the unused extension right-of-way were sold by RTA to the City of Beachwood in 2000 for a new recreation and community center.