PARMA, Ohio — The West Creek Greenway is taking another step toward fruition.
Construction is under way on a 0.4-mile all-purpose trail connecting Camelot Drive, which is near the West Creek Conservancy, to Broadview Road in Parma.
The overall 20-mile West Creek Greenway natural public trail network will link Parma, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights and Independence to the Cleveland Metroparks’ West Creek Reservation.
The Parma project includes construction of a 10-foot-wide trail featuring a 140-foot-long bridge spanning West Creek.
Cleveland Metroparks Chief Planning and Design Officer Sean McDermott said the path should be completed in June.
“These are small, challenging projects, but are a very big component of the overall 20-mile trail network that the West Creek Greenway represents,” he said.
“Eventually, this will connect up to the Hemlock Trail, which is already constructed from Route 21 down to the towpath.”
Seven Hills currently has a path from Broadview Road to east of Cricket Lane. John Benson/cleveland.com
That includes adding a trail through Seven Hills, east of Cricket Lane, into Independence.
The ultimate goal is to add another trail north through Parma, Brooklyn Heights and Independence for an additional towpath connection.
The current collaborative project involves the City of Parma, West Creek Conservancy, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA).
The $1,895,000 total project cost involves grants from numerous entities — Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program ($560,500), Clean Ohio Greenspace Funding ($729,310) and ODOT Toll Revenue Credit ($281,752).
As for the roughly $325,000 balance, West Creek Conservancy is contributing $197,000, with Cleveland Metroparks kicking in $125,000.
West Creek Conservancy Executive Director Derek Schafer credits the “strong” relationships and partnerships leading to the construction of the current path, which is on land his nonprofit purchased more than 20 years ago.
“The trail that is under development was in the original vision of this organization’s founders about how to connect neighborhoods, places and people to parks,” he said.
“It’s amazing to see the progress that has simply been made over the last couple of months.”
Schafer added that another path link in the West Creek Greenway — between Grantwood Drive and Snow Road, in partnership with Parma — could be completed by the end of 2026.
“This connection has been in the making for 20 years,” Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter said.
“The City of Parma is proud to be a proud supportive partner for this important neighborhood connector to neighboring Seven Hills.
“There were many pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, including land acquisitions and engineering and design work,” he said.
“Another great job by team West Creek Conservancy. I look forward to its opening for our communities.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
