Environment & Energy

New pedestrian bridge marks better access to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga River

Ideastream Public Media | By Abigail Bottar

Published July 27, 2023 at 5:40 PM EDT

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Lisa Petit (center right) and Summit County Engineer Alan Brubaker (center left) walk across a new pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River at the national park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park unveiled a new bridge Thursday that connects visitors to the Towpath Trail and the Cuyahoga River. Park officials say the bridge is another way to elevate visitor experience.

Positioned next to the Boston Mill Visitor Center, the bridge connects visitors from the center to the Towpath Trail and the Cuyahoga River. Instead of sharing a bridge with local traffic to go over the river, hikers, bikers and visitors alike can now safely cross on their own designated bridge.

Officials cut a ribbon at an event unveiling a new pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Thursday, July 27, 2023.

On Tuesday, in the afternoon sun over the rushing river, park officials, volunteers and visitors celebrated the opening of the pedestrian bridge in Peninsula. Amongst chirping birds, officials took the first trip of many over the new bridge. This bridge was a project the park wanted to take on since the visitor center opened in 2019, Park Superintendent Lisa Petit said, but they lacked the funding.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Lisa Petit speaks at a ribbon-cutting event for a new pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River.

"One piece of the puzzle that remained is the one to my left," Petit said, gesturing to the bridge. "That is the pedestrian bridge to take people safely from the visitor center across the river."

The park explored several options for funding, eventually partnering with the Summit County Engineer's Office, which Petit said speaks to the importance of partnerships to the park. Then, COVID-19 hit. Even amidst the pandemic, the park was booming with visitors, boasting numbers higher than in pre-pandemic years.

“We have unprecedented numbers of people coming from out of state, coming here to this visitor center to enter the park," Petit said.

Officials unveiled a new pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

With money from the federal government, the park was finally able to build the bridge this year, which Petit said connects visitors of the park safely to the Towpath Trail and the Cuyahoga River without contending with nearby traffic.

“Each and every one of these pieces that we put in place serves those visitors better," Petit said. "They learn about us. They come and visit. They come back again. They tell their friends."

The influx of visitors to the park during the pandemic made it the ninth most visited national park in 2022, Petit said, and she hopes the bridge will attract more visitors to explore the park.