Multi-phased “Euclid Creek Greenway” project will close critical transportation gap to lakefront
Cleveland Metroparks today commenced construction on the Euclid Creek Greenway, a multi-phased trail project to improve connections to the lakefront on the east side of Cleveland. The project will close a critical transportation gap in the region and connect the lower portion of Euclid Creek Reservation to its northern portion along the lakefront that includes Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood parks in the city of Cleveland.
The first phase of the Euclid Creek Greenway will extend the all purpose trail a half-mile from the intersection of Euclid Creek Parkway and Highland Road to Euclid Avenue and improve safety at the Highland Road entrance to Euclid Creek Reservation with new traffic and pedestrian signals in the City of Euclid.
“The multi-phased Euclid Creek Greenway will transform the way east side communities connect with and access our great lakefront,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman. “We’re thrilled to begin work on this trail to close a critical transportation gap, connect our neighborhoods and city and improve equitable park access.”
Cleveland Metroparks anticipates beginning construction on the second phase of the project in 2023 to revitalize the site of the former Euclid Central Middle School along Euclid Avenue. The second phase will transform the former schoolgrounds into a 17-acre park with a large open greenspace as well as meadow and forest habitat. The second phase will also include a natural surface loop trail and continue the all purpose trail extension from Euclid Avenue to Chardon Road on its way to the lakefront. Both phases one and two of the Euclid Creek Greenway are expected to be substantially completed by summer 2023.
In late 2021, Cleveland Metroparks was awarded $950,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program to advance the planning and design of four trail and bicycle connections on Cleveland’s East Side including phases three and four of the Euclid Creek Greenway that will traverse an additional one and a half miles through Cleveland neighborhoods and complete the lakefront trail connection. Phase three will extend the all purpose trail along Chardon Road from the former middle school to St. Clair Avenue and phase four will complete the connection to Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood parks through Collinwood.
In 2019, the Euclid Creek Greenway corridor was identified by the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan as a “Critical Gap” in Northeast Ohio’s transportation network. Of the more than 800 miles of trail routes that were evaluated by the plan, the Euclid Creek Greenway was one of 12 Critical Gaps totaling 13.5 miles that are of the highest priority based on function, benefits, community needs, local support, equity and accessibility.
Once complete, the entire Euclid Creek Greenway will contain more than two miles of all purpose trail in the cities of Cleveland and Euclid, connecting more than 36,000 nearby residents to parks, jobs, schools, businesses and Lake Erie.
“Building better connections between community amenities including the lake, our parks, and our neighborhoods has been a priority for the City of Euclid,” said Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail. “The Euclid Creek Greenway takes an important step towards improving access and vibrancy—we truly appreciate the longstanding partnership and investment by the Cleveland Metroparks.”
Funding for the first and third phases of the Euclid Creek Greenway is supported by Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) program funds through the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), and the first and second phases are supported by the Clean Ohio Trails Fund through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Cleveland Metroparks also received nearly $200,000 in funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to assist with the restoration and reforestation of the former Euclid Central Middle School property.
The groundbreaking follows a series of ongoing projects on Cleveland’s east side including the
Garfield Park Restoration, the
Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Study (CHEERS), and the opening of the Eastern Ledge Trail later this month that will soon connect the City of Richmond Heights directly to Euclid Creek Reservation.
For more information on the Euclid Creek Greenway, visit
clevelandmetroparks.com/EuclidCreekTrails.
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