Red Line Greenway (5/13/2017)

Saturday, May 13, 2017
Today the Cleveland chapter of the Miami University Alumni Association sent volunteers to work with The Rotary Club of Cleveland on its project called Red Line Greenway.

Welcome sign

The steps down to the "Greenway"

The RTA W 25 - Ohio City Rapid Station

First, the volunteers were taken on a hay ride to see the extent of the Red Line Greenway.

On the hay ride

Lenny S, the Rotarian who founded the project along with Matt K, in 2009, explained that the present goal is to create a 3-mile elevated linear park alongside the RTA Rapid track right-of-way. It will connect the Michael J Zone Recreation Center greenspace at W 65th St and Lorain Avenue to downtown Cleveland at Superior Ave and W 9th St. The most challenging section will be on the RTA Viaduct, which will require somehow constructing a pedestrian/bike pathway cantilevered to one side of the bridge, since four tracks take up the width of the viaduct for most of its length.

One of the 2016 Inter|Urban murals, by Margaret Kimball

Another mural, this one by Alan Giberson

The third mural, by Ryan Jaenke

A tree growing within a catenary stanchion

We turned around under the Fulton Street bridge,
and passed through a gauntlet of graffiti

At the other end, we were able to go as far as the beginning of the viaduct

The group of Miami U alumni, including Kent

Looking down at the access to Franklin Boulevard,
where we later did most of the weeding and transplanting

Rowing practice on the Cuyahoga River beneath us

The Cleveland skyline

We somehow surrounded a bunny

The Hart Crane Memorial Park, named for
a poet and former Plain Dealer reporter

A Red Line Rapid train

2016 Inter|Urban mural by Pat Perry

A Red Line Greenway regular, Erin, climbed
the embankment that was cleared of dead plants

After the volunteer work, relaxing at Hoopples on Columbus Road