Photo: Destination Cleveland

Lake Erie is one of Cleveland's best natural features

But for years, residents have struggled to get there. Highways, railroads and a 65-foot bluff separate the city from the lakefront, making it nearly impossible to walk and bike to Lake Erie’s shore safely. The North Coast Connector is a proposed land bridge that would finally allow everyone to experience our Great Lake. It could sail above the railroad tracks and roads to let people walk and bike to the Great Lakes Science Center, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Browns Stadium. It could create a joyful green space where your kids (and dogs) could play. It could bring a new generation of visitors to the North Coast, activating vibrant community experiences and job growth. In short, it would make our North Coast a place everyone can enjoy.

North Coast Connector and Master Plan Presentation.

On August 5, 2024, NCWDC joined the City and other partners to provide an update on the North Coast Connector Master Plan and to hear feedback from Cleveland residents. The presentation included updated renderings of the proposed land bridge, public spaces and other lakefront amenities. Below, you can find a recording of the entire panel presentation and the North Coast Connector materials provided to the public.
  • North Coast Connector Renderings (PDF)
  • Panel Recording by TV20 Cleveland (Watch on YouTube)
  • Read more about the updated North Coast Connector from Cleveland.com (Article)

Community Visioning Workshop materials.

The City hosted a series of Community Visioning Workshops in May 2023 to help understand everyone’s ideas for the North Coast. Participants shared their thoughts on the layout of the North Coast Connector and what they would like to focus on for the design of the new Master Plan. Below, you can find the presentation from the workshops and a recording of the virtual meeting. November 2022 town hall and listening session materials. In 2022, Mayor Justin Bibb kicked off a town hall and a series of listening sessions to hear your thoughts on where a land bridge might go and whether we should make changes to the Shoreway. Hundreds of Cleveland residents showed up at the public meetings held last fall to share their thoughts, and hundreds more filled out our survey. You can open the presentation to learn more about the history and details of the project, while the meeting summary outlines the format of the listening sessions. Also check out what we learned from this phase of outreach:
  • Presentation (PDF)
  • Meeting Summary (PDF)
  • What We Learned (PDF)
Envision the Connector.
Watch this drone footage of the North Coast Connector project area, courtesy of CT Consultants, and listen as Vickie Wildeman, the North Coast Connector consultant project manager with Osborn Engineering, explains the engineering challenges.
The City started the feasibility study for the North Coast Connector in November of 2021, gathering data on existing conditions and conducting preliminary engineering and traffic studies.