Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant completes necessary funding to move urban trail project forward
Cleveland Metroparks has secured a $500,000 award from the Clean Ohio Trails Fund completing necessary funding to move forward the Red Line Greenway project. The two-mile multi-purpose trail will run alongside the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (GCRTA) Red Line rapid transit corridor from the Michael Zone Recreation Center at West 53rd Street to the intersection of Columbus Road and Franklin Avenue while providing panoramic views of Downtown Cleveland, the Flats and the Lakefront from an overlook atop the RTA viaduct above the Cuyahoga River at the project's eastern terminus.
The Red Line Greenway project is part of Cleveland Metroparks' $16.5 million
Re-Connecting Cleveland: Pathways to Opportunity project to re-connect Cleveland and overcome manmade and natural barriers via bike, pedestrian trail and bridge improvements. This planned transportation network will link more than 66,000 Cleveland residents to centers of employment, schools, parks, recreation, and commerce, and is anticipated to be complete by late 2020. The
Re-Connecting Cleveland project secured a nearly $8 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant in 2016.
"The Red Line Greenway project is an important piece to our Emerald Necklace and our mission to connect Cleveland," said Brian M. Zimmerman, Cleveland Metroparks CEO. "This state grant will complement the already extensive support we've received from the federal and local levels, allowing us to improve access to greenspace and recreational opportunities."
The Red Line Greenway project was conceived in 2011 by members of the Rotary Club of Cleveland and developed in collaboration with LAND Studio. The Rotary Club, along with the GCRTA, have been cleaning, mowing and maintaining the area along the Red Line transit corridor on a volunteer basis since the 1970s.
The Red Line Greenway will connect to a growing network of trails, commencing at the Michael Zone Recreation Center and linking to the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail, the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, the Whiskey Island Connector Trail, Rivergate and Canal Basin Parks, Wendy Park and Edgewater Park.
In addition to the Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant, the approximately $6 million Red Line Greenway project is supported by $3.4 million in TIGER funds, $2 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds that were facilitated through Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) and Cleveland Metroparks funds.
Cleveland Metroparks expects to break ground on the trail in 2019, with an estimated completion in late 2020 and will continue to work closely with the community and project partners as the project moves forward.
Cleveland Metroparks encompasses more than 23,000 acres in an "Emerald Necklace" around Greater Cleveland. The Park District is home to 18 park reservations, which include 300 miles of all-purpose, hiking, biking, and bridle trails, eight golf courses, five nature centers and the nationally-acclaimed Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
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Cleveland Metroparks Media Contacts:
External Communications Coordinator
Jeffrey Tolman, 216-635-3274
Chief Marketing Officer
Kelly Manderfield, 216-635-3202