AT IRISHTOWN

YOU BELONG

BEND PARK

The Bend on the Mend

Irishtown Bend Park represents a generational opportunity to create a 25-acre green space that connects downtown and Cleveland neighborhoods to the Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie, and beyond!

SHAPING THE BEND

The overall Irishtown Bend hillside is the site of three separate and sequential projects

Stabilization of Irishtown Bend
Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail / Franklin Enhancements
Irishtown Bend Park

Phase One: COMPLETE!

The $65 million hillside stabilization at Irishtown Bend is complete, and the Port of Cleveland has handed management over to Cleveland Metroparks.

Stabilization of Irishtown Bend

Before the Park could become a reality, the Port of Cleveland had to stabilize the hillside. This crucial work ensured the Cuyahoga River remains a thriving waterway for both industry recreation.

Learn About Stabilization

Phase Two: IN PROGRESS

With the completion of Stabilization, the project has been passed along to the Cleveland MetroParks

Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail / Franklin Enhancements

The Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail, stretching from the Towpath Trail near Scranton Road to the Willow Avenue Lift Bridge, has been constructed in phases, with segments opening in 2015, 2017, and 2021. The final segment along Irishtown Bend will include approximately 0.5 miles of all-purpose trail and a riverfront promenade. This will connect the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to Lake Erie at Wendy Park. Also as a part of this project, amenities will be installed along the newly re-aligned Franklin Avenue.

Cleveland Metroparks is leading design, construction, and management of this project, which has now begun, and has an anticipated completion in summer 2027.

Live Site Footage

Phase Three: Coming Soon

The final piece of the project culminates in a world-class 25-acre park on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

Irishtown Bend Park

Irishtown Bend Park will serve as the culmination years of work and engagement by public, private, and nonprofit partners to create a world-class 25-acre park on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. This final piece of the project, the design and construction of the park features, will build on the stage set by the hillside stabilization and Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail / Franklin Enhancements projects.

While Cleveland Metroparks’ original involvement in the Irishtown Bend Park project was as a stakeholder, the Park District, in partnership with LAND studio and Ohio City Incorporated, along with support from West Creek Conservancy and City of Cleveland, will lead design, construction, and management of Irishtown Bend Park.

The Irishtown Bend Park improvements will be funded through both private donations and various local and federal funding sources. Design is underway, and the first phase of construction is expected to begin in 2027 and continue through early 2029.