“A complete trail network throughout the city of Cleveland will provide safer and more sustainable ways for residents to access nature and to become more connected to the community,” said Sean Terry, Ohio Parks for People Program Director with The Trust for Public Land. “We’re grateful for the many partnerships that all allowed Wendy Park Bridge to become a reality and are excited to continue to make green space more accessible to more people.”

The Re-Connecting Cleveland project also included the recently opened Red Line Greenway, a nearly two-mile paved all-purpose trail that links the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail to two RTA Red Line Rapid Transit stations, and provides six neighborhood connections from West 65th Street to downtown Cleveland. It also included the completed Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway Connector that links the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail to the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway and the Canal Basin Park Connector that links the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail to Canal Basin Park, Rivergate Park, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Waterfront Line Rapid Transit, eLCee2 Water Taxi and downtown Cleveland.

“The now complete Re-Connecting Cleveland project will serve as a catalyst for our communities by eliminating transportation barriers between downtown and our great lakefront,” said LAND studio Executive Director Gregory Peckham. “We’re thrilled with the outcome of this collaborative effort that will have lasting impacts for decades to come.”

Cleveland Metroparks, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land and LAND studio, applied for and secured a TIGER grant in 2016 from the U.S. Department of Transportation that supported $7.95 million of the project’s overall cost. In addition to the TIGER grant, funds for the overall $16.45 million Re-Connecting Cleveland project were secured from the Wendy Park Foundation, The Trust for Public Land, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds facilitated through Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), Clean Ohio Trails Fund, State of Ohio, LAND studio and Cleveland Metroparks funds.

Earlier this month, Cleveland Metroparks was selected to receive a national award for Innovation in Social Equity for the Re-Connecting Cleveland project in recognition of the trail’s impact in reconnecting residents and breaking down transportation barriers.

The Wendy Park Bridge was designed by KS Associates, Inc. and constructed by Great Lakes Construction Co. The Whiskey Island Connector Trail was designed by E.L. Robinson Engineering Co. and constructed by Mark Haynes Construction.

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