CLEVELAND — The Wendy Park Bridge, a 500-foot-long bridge that provides a link to downtown Cleveland and the Cleveland Metroparks lakefront parks, is open to both pedestrians and bicyclists who want to access Wendy Park, Whiskey Island and the former historic coast guard station and Edgewater Park.
In addition to the Wendy Park Bridge, the Cleveland Metroparks celebrated the completion of the Whiskey Island Trail Thursday, which provides a missing link between Edgewater Park to Wendy Park with 1.2 miles of all-purpose trail. Prior to the trail, walkers, joggers and cyclists would have to share a narrow stretch of a roadway with blind turns, cars, buses, trucks and boat trailers.
The Wendy Park Bridge and the Whiskey Island Trail are two final pieces in the $16.5 million “Re-Connecting Cleveland” trails project. The now complete transportation network of more than 4 miles of interconnected bike and pedestrian trails links more than 66,000 Cleveland residents to a variety of green spaces, schools, and places of employment.
Construction of the $6 million Wendy Park Bridge was funded in part by $3 million from the Wendy Park Foundation as well as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) and Land Studio.
"We are so grateful to Cleveland Metroparks for its expert execution of this vision for a more connected and accessible lakefront for Cleveland,” said Halley Moore, Wendy Park Foundation in a statement. “So many public, private and non-profit organizations came together to make this happen—it wouldn’t have been possible without a substantial team effort. We are thrilled that the Wendy Park Bridge, which will be known as Wendy’s Way, is now open for use along with its massive network of connected trail systems. We expect significant positive economic impact for our community, along with improved health and well-being of those who choose to get out and enjoy them. Our contribution to the bridge honors Wendy Moore, the daughter of Wendy Park founder Dan Moore and Marge Moore.”
The trail provides a safe, off-road connection with picturesque views of the active Port of Cleveland’s Bulk Terminal and other stops that share the rich history of Cleveland lakefront.
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