As Canalway reflects on 40 years, there is no doubt that we are best known for our work on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Canalway Partners was incorporated in 1985 as North Cuyahoga Corridor with the goal of reclaiming a north-south corridor of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal for recreation, historic preservation, and building connections among canal communities.
The vision for the Towpath Trail came along shortly after, perfectly aligning with the goals of the new non-profit. In addition to the designation of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, the creation of this recreation trail quickly became an organizational priority.
The project was completed in Cuyahoga County after more than three decades of work and is one of our proudest accomplishments.
Learn more about the development, fundraising and construction of the Towpath Trail and how it is embedded in Canalway Partner’s DNA in the timeline below:
- 1985: North Cuyahoga Corridor (later to become Canalway Partners) incorporated with vision of creating a north-south recreation corridor along the route of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal.
- 1987: The NOAAC Bikeways Facility plan proposes a north-south bike route through Cuyahoga Valley predicting “the route will be one of the most important and highly-used links in the NOACA Bikeway Network.”
- 1990: Groundbreaking for the Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
- 1992: Feasibility study is completed for the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.
- 1992: North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Concept Plan Published by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission providing a comprehensive look at the north-south corridor. Funded in part by the Cleveland Foundation and the Gund Foundation.
- 1993: 20 miles of the Towpath Trail completed in Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
- 1996: Congress designates the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, providing access to federal funds for projects with a focus on conservation and development of natural, recreational, cultural and historical resources throughout the area.
- 1999: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission authors "Linking the Corridor: A Plan for the Towpath Trail in the North Cuyahoga Valley."
- August 1999: Cleveland Metroparks opens the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation including 6.5 miles of the Towpath Trail connecting to those in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
- January 2001: The Cleveland Foundation & The Gund Foundation contribute $25,000 each to the initial engineering of the Towpath Trail Extension Project to bring the trail further into Cuyahoga County.
- October 2001: Mayor White approve the donation of three acres at the corner of Merin Avenue and West Street in addition to $25,000 for the planning of Canal Basin Park, the northern terminus of the Towpath Trail.
- 2002: Cuyahoga County Planning commission authors “Towpath Trail Extension: Alignment & Design Study.”
- 2007: First 1.75miles of the towpath Trail Extension Project completed at Steelyard Commons, privately funded by First Interstate and providing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund to support future development.
- 2009: Four-party agreement established with Canalway Partners, Cleveland Metroparks, City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga county to complete the Towpath Trail Extension Project.
- 2010: Trust for Public Land & Canalway Partners purchase 11 acres along Scranton Flats to build Towpath Trail.
- 2011: $3.5 million raised to construct the .6 mile Scranton Flats section of the Towpath Trail from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission.
- July 2012: Groundbreaking for the Scranton Flats section of the trail which costs $9.1 million total.
- 2012: ODOT unveils plans to incorporate the Towpath Trail into the replacement of the Innerbelt Bridge between Tremont and Downtown.
- July 2014: Ribbon cutting for the Scranton Flats section of the Towpath Trail, featuring 9 acres of restored meadow, a fish habitat and a natural river bulkhead.
- April 2016: Stage 3 of the Towpath Trail, the 1.9 mile section from the Northern entrance of Steelyard Commons to Literary Avenue, receives $250,000 award from Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District to incorporate Green Infrastructure into Towpath Trail Design.
- April 2017: Stage 3 Towpath Trail Groundbreaking at Clark Field.
- August 2017: The completion of the George Voinovich Bridge opens a quarter mile of the Towpath Trail connecting Scranton Flats to Tremont.
- July 2018: Stage 1 Groundbreaking to connect the trail from Steelyard Commons to lower Harvard Avenue.
- June 2019: Groundbreaking at Canal Basin Park to begin 1.75 mile Stage 4 connection from Tremont.
- 2020: Virtual Ribbon cutting of Stage 3 opens the Towpath Trail from Steelyard Commons to Literary Avenue.
- June 2021: Ribbon cutting at Camp Cleveland opens final section of the Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga County, leading to Canal Basin Park .
- September 2022:The opening of the trailhead at Canal Basin Park marks the completion of construction on the Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga County.
