SCRANTON FLATS TOWPATH TRAIL & URBAN HABITAT RESTORATION

CLEVELAND, OHIO

The Towpath Trail from Harvard Road to the Canal Basin in the Flats is being constructed in multiple phases.  Behnke developed the fourth and final phase of this project as a subconsultant to Michael Baker Corporation.

A portion of the trail passes through an industrial zone of the Flats, adjacent to the Cuyahoga River, just south of Collision Bend.  Primarily with a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, this project:

• Remediates brownfield conditions

• Restores and monitors 3,000 feet of aquatic edge for fish habitat, through a variety of grading, green bulkhead modification, and native planting strategies

• Implements 4.75 acres of upland riparian buffer restoration with native plants

• Creates an urban greenway for active and passive recreation

• Connects bicyclists and pedestrians in downtown Cleveland with neighborhoods south of downtown, and eventually all communities along the completed Towpath Trail

• Treats stormwater runoff with bioretention cells

• Progresses toward Area of Concern delisting for the Cuyahoga River

• Provides riverfront access for birding, fishing, and river activity observation

• Educates the public about local history, industry, and the environment, through interpretive displays

Merit Award, American Society of Landscape Architects - Ohio Chapter

Construction Cost:  $5 Million