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Towpath Trail: Stage 1
Estimated Completeion Date: 2011
This short section is the next to be completed along the Cleveland section of the Towpath Trail.
Stage 1 will connect already existing sections at Steelyard Commons and in the Cleveland Metroparks Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation .
This part of the trail will begin at Harvard Road in Cuyahoga Heights at the Harvard Road Entrance to the Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation. It travels north through a wooded lowland before crossing the Cuyahoga River, from whence it follows the curves of the river’s edge until turning west and meeting a junction with the Steelyard Commons section of the Towpath Trail.
Despite it’s short length, this will be one of the most technologically challenging sections of the Towpath Trail.
At Harvard Road, discussions are underway to determine which will be the safest and most cost-effective way to cross this busy street. One of the more interesting options under consideration is to build an underpass which will take advantage of the lower elevation north of the road to reduce construction and engineering costs.
The Cuyahoga River crossing considered using an abandoned steel-frame railroad bridge. However, it was determined that retrofitting the existing structure and repairing damage from years of neglect would be prohibitively expensive. Planning for this bridge and it’s approaches are underway.
The section north of the river crossing poses several challenges. It lies partially in a floodplain that is underwater after heavy rains. There are also issues relating to erosion along the stream bank. The location of nearby facilities requiring buffer zones from the trail add additional complications.
Fortunately, none of these challenges are insurmountable. The current discussion centers on finding the appropriate balance of sustainability, usability, and amenity presented by the various methods of dealing with these obstacles.
The final challenge of this segment is crossing an active and busy, raised railroad line which runs across the planned trail route. As with the Harvard Road section, planners are looking at different ways of designing this crossing to make it as safe and convenient as possible for trail-users. |
