Towpath Trail Extension

Alignment and Design Study: Page Three

Environmental Regeneration
One emphasis of the Towpath Trail, beyond its use for transportation and recreation, is a strategy for the environmental regeneration of the surrounding landscape. Over the generations of urban development and industrial use, the natural systems of hillsides, wetland pockets, ground water, soil profiles and conditions, and surface drainage have been overlooked in favor of manufacturing production and the movement of goods by water, rail, and road. The development of a trail through this landscape brings the opportunity to refocus attention on the natural systems of the river valley. The vision is for a co-existence between the natural systems and the industrial land uses, where the two are viewed as related infrastructure working in partnership. The trail provides the framework for exploration and experimentation of effective methods to reintroduce natural systems objectives.

On average, the trail is planned as a fifty-foot wide linear "ribbon" through the valley, totalling approximately 40 acres. In some locations the area would be limited to the land necessary to construct the trail, meaning a fourteen-foot right-of-way (ten feet of paved trail, plus two feet on each side). In other locations, there is the opportunity to include additional land and protect it as greenspace through projects such as the ecological restoration of hillsides, soil enhancements, improvements to drainage patterns, and constructed and enhanced wetland pockets of over 200 acres. Examples of these locations include the hillsides between the former LTV Steel and Clark Avenue, the abandoned West 4th Street right-of-way, and the hillside along University Road. This linear ribbon and associated areas would represent the core area within which to implement an environmental regeneration program of over 200 acres.

Additional regeneration opportunities, beyond the trail "ribbon," have been identified for selected areas of land that are unbuildable, vacant, or underutilized, as well as areas for creation or restoration of riparian buffers and natural edges along the river channel. Locations that fit these categories include the former Harshaw Chemical facility on old Harvard Avenue, the east and west banks of the Cuyahoga River upstream of the head of navigation, the Kingsbury Run confluence with the river, the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in the vicinity of I-490, the east edge of the Scranton Peninsula along the river, and the Irishtown Bend hillside. These areas could be woven with the trail to form a greenway of reclaimed natural areas along the river valley.

The range of environmental regeneration strategies is broad. For example, phytoremediation techniques would utilize plants and trees to improve the natural condition of riverbanks and clean groundwater as it migrates to the river. In addition, biological filters could be attached to the drainage outfalls of highways and bridges to remove salt and other impurities before the water is released on the ground. Finally, the traditional metal bulkhead lining the Cuyahoga River channel could be modified in some locations to provide opportunities for aquatic habitat enhancement.

In conjunction with site-specific improvement projects, environmental regeneration strategies need to be incorporated into the maintenance and management programs of the land users of the river valley. The strategies would also offer opportunities for extensive educational programs and partnering efforts with volunteer and community organizations.

Visitor Services and Interpretative Opportunities
As part of the Towpath Trail, locations for visitor services and interpretive exhibits have been recommended. The proposed sites along the length of the trail include various combinations of facilities such as parking, restrooms, shelters, rest stops, interpretation, and wayfinding signage to promote circulation along the main trail and with neighborhood connectors. The visitor services and interpretation locations are situated along the route to maximize their potential through grouping with complimentary amenities and to provide an appropriate distance between activity areas. Some facilities will be needed as part of the construction of the Towpath Trail, while other facilities will not be needed until supplemental projects are undertaken.

The content of the wayside exhibits will be based on both the natural and cultural history of the valley. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Cleveland Metroparks Canal Reservation both illustrate the range of exhibit types that are possible. Potential interpretive themes include successive transportation systems, such as the canal, railroads, shipping, and highways; bridge engineering; immigrants and neighborhood settlement patterns; innovation in industrial fields such as oil, chemicals, and paint, as well as iron, steel, fasteners, machine tools, automobiles, and shipbuilding; and the role of the lower Cuyahoga River Valley in the national environmental movement. In addition, selected parts of the former LTV Steel/West Side Works have the opportunity to be incorporated into the trail and public improvement program. Several small administrative buildings along the former LTV entry drive have the potential to be reused for visitor services and indoor interpretation of the steel story. As an unusual companion piece, a collection of furnaces and mill buildings dating as far back as the 1910's and clustered near the Clark Avenue overlook at the southern terminus of West 3rd Street create a complete narrative of steel production for visitor interpretation and experience, much like the examples in the Ruhr Valley of Germany.

Finally, and importantly, the proposed Canal Basin Park and its vicinity include the only visible remains of the 1820's Ohio & Erie Canal north of old Harvard Avenue. This area will become a focal point of the northern end of the Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor and will incorporate the Towpath Trail.

Public Art Plan
The development of the Towpath Trail and its various amenities create an excellent opportunity for the integration of art into the project. For example, public art may be used as a device through which to interpret the rich heritage and stories of the valley, as a method to create a sense of place, and as a way to enhance the physical improvements.

The most ambitious and significant public art proposal is the design of a new, movable pedestrian river crossing for the trail. Through an international competition, a signature piece of design could be created that carries the Cuyahoga River Valley's famous bridge design legacy into a third century. The bridge is proposed to link the east and west bank of the river from approximately the Nautica Stage (west bank) to the original outlet of the Ohio & Erie Canal into the Cuyahoga River at the proposed Canal Basin Park (east bank). In addition to serving Towpath Trail users, the bridge would be a safer method for pedestrians in the Flats to cross the river instead of using the Center Street Bridge, and it would be located adjacent to the Regional Transit Authority's Settler's Landing stop on the Waterfront Line.

Another public art opportunity is lighting, which would serve the trail and create a continuous ribbon of light visible from higher vantage points in surrounding neighborhoods, high level bridges, and downtown Cleveland. In addition, north of old Harvard Avenue, the Towpath Trail is unable to follow the original route of the Ohio & Erie Canal on the east side of the Cuyahoga River because it is situated under railroads and manufacturing complexes. To visually represent the canal, art pieces such as pylons mounted with flags or illumination could be used to trace the original canal route.

Additional opportunities for incorporating art into the project include the under sides of high level bridges, retaining walls, pavement, and fencing. Another avenue for artist involvement is in the environmental regeneration component of the trail, an area in which several international artists are pursuing art that involves reclamation technologies.