Delete WardAug 25, 2023
Council Majority Leader Kerry McCormack served as the master of ceremonies for the Irishtown bend groundbreaking, which will rehabilitate a significant portion of the Cuyahoga River here in cleveland. It will improve riverfront access for Clevelanders, create new Greenspace, and stabilize our river and help protect more than 22,000 jobs in northeast Ohio.
This is a huge deal for outdoor access, economic development, and transportation!
Irishtown Bend is located between West 25th Street and the Cuyahoga River, and between Columbus Road and the Detroit Superior Bridge.
The Port of Cleveland has taken the lead on stabilizing Irishtown Bend. Recently, the Port shared that “Irishtown Bend’s unstable hillside poses an immediate threat to public safety and property in the area. Given the potential for a landslide to disrupt commercial shipping traffic on the Cuyahoga, thousands of maritime jobs could be impacted, and an adverse economic effect could be felt throughout the region.”
The $60 million project will not only go a long way into alleviating fears of the hillside falling into the Cuyahoga River, but it will help clear the way for new greenspace - and for Clevelanders living in CMHA properties near the river, and in Ohio City to have access to the riverfront. The completed park and its accompanying riverfront trail will connect the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to Lake Erie.
Cleveland City Council supported the project with Ordinance 530-2023 - a $5 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation at its May 31, 2023 special meeting.
Council President Griffin (Ward 6) and “Dean” Mike Polensek (Ward 8) also attended and showed support.