The Lakewood-Rocky River Lake-Clifton corridor project moves forward after 18 years

More than 50 local residents showed up to the public meeting at Lakewood City Hall on Feb. 24, interested in learning more about the construction of the $12.3 million Lake-Clifton Corridor project connecting the cities of Lakewood and Rocky River. Research for the project started back in 2008.

As officials shared timeline and construction details for the project – which they expect to be complete within two years – residents voiced concerns about temporary takeovers of property owner land and the introduction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Lake Road and Clifton Boulevard.

All Systems Go on the Lake-Clifton Corridor Project

“We are days away from a notice to proceed,” said Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works Lakefront Project Manager Trevor Hunt.

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Hunt said the county is taking Lake-Clifton and “doing a road diet.” This means:

• The corridor will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes
• A new roundabout will be added at the intersection of Lake Road and Clifton Boulevard
• Additional parkway will be transformed into a greenway
• The north side of Lake-Clifton will receive an 11-foot bikeway
• Additional greening including landscaping and some bioretention
• “Traffic calming” with upgraded crosswalks and rapid flashing beacons
• A new lighting and transit waiting environment

“It’s really to help beautify the corridor in addition to slow down traffic,” Hunt said. “I’m sure you all are very familiar with being out there on Lake-Clifton today. Cars don’t obey the posted speed limit, right? I’ve been out there numerous times where you get cars driving 45-50 mph. It’s an everyday occurrence in reality.”

He said construction contractor PERK Company, Inc. will begin utility, tree clearing and traffic signal work before April 1, which will then be followed by three phases of construction.

• Phase I: Two-way traffic will be maintained on the north side of Clifton Boulevard while construction occurs on the south side of the street.
• Phase II: There will be a 90-day period where there will not be two-way traffic due to new roundabout construction.
• Phase III: Two-way traffic will be permitted and shifted to the south side of Lake-Clifton. All trail work on the north side of Clifton Boulevard is set to be completed by fall 2027.

Construction Effects for Lakewood Residents

[Images courtesy of City of Lakewood]

Hunt said the construction will affect 74 homes in Lakewood. He shared visuals of the project, outlining where construction will cause changes and detours. He also brought in design plans for residents with questions about their specific properties.

“One lane of automobile traffic will be maintained at all times throughout the project with the exception of those 90 days [for roundabout construction],” he said. “We will be maintaining individual private access to all property owners that have adjacent property here.”

To avoid construction, motorists will be directed to use designated detour routes:

• For motorists: Use the detour routes of Wagar Road, Detroit Road, Sloan Avenue, and West Clifton Boulevard.
• For pedestrians and cyclists: Use the detour routes of Argyle Road, Battersea Boulevard, Lake Road, Detroit Road, Sloan Avenue and West Clifton Boulevard.

Construction Effects for Rocky River Residents

According to City of Rocky River Director of Public Safety-Service Rich Snyder, the construction will affect a small number of properties within Rocky River. He said most of the trail work will be installed along “Ramp D” of Lake Road. 

“The City of Rocky River has worked closely with Cuyahoga County in engaging these property owners with letters and in person meetings to discuss easements,” Snyder said. “All work is set to take place within the public right-of-way, but several property owners were encroaching upon public property. The design team for the county worked closely with property owners to allow the encroachments to stay whenever possible, and most were.”

Snyder said any unutilized funds from Rocky River’s contribution towards the construction project – within the limits of Rocky River itself – will be returned to the city.

Residents Concerns

Several residents wanted to know more about the amount of their private property that would be lost to construction, and others worried about the safety of a roundabout versus drivers that are distracted or under the influence.

Hunt said there will be minimal property takes — where the government temporarily or permanently acquires property rights for a project to be built — during construction of the roundabout. He said there have been negotiations with two property owners about temporary or permanent takes.

Snyder said the primary concerns from Rocky River property owners were the necessity of the project and the impact upon traffic.

“The question arose as to whether the addition of the multi-use trail was necessary and proper use of funds at this time,” he said. “There were compelling cases on both sides, with representatives from Bike Rocky River and Bike Cleveland attending city council meetings in favor of the project, as well as those who believe the funds should be allocated to other infrastructure projects, such as sewer and road improvements.”

Snyder said there were also concerns about the potential for traffic stacking due to the elimination of one lane in either direction on the [Clifton Park] bridge, as well as the addition of the roundabout on the east end. 

Cuyahoga County Director of Public Works Michael Dever said the idea to introduce a roundabout to the area came from working with a consultant to explore different ways to soften the road and maintain traffic movement. Dever said the county evaluated multiple roundabout concepts focusing on intersections with four to five converging streets. A traditional design was selected as the most appropriate choice.

“All over Europe, they have [roundabouts] everywhere,” Dever said. “We went back and forth and we tried to figure out, ‘Would this actually fit?’ We collaborated with the city of Lakewood because they’re the ones that ultimately have to maintain this avenue that goes in.”

Residents were also told treelawns obstructed by construction work will be replaced and reseeded after the project is complete.

Lakewood Councilwoman Cindy Strebig, Ward 3 asked Lakewood Public Works Director Chris Gordon to share what types of communication would be used to keep residents informed of construction that would affect their properties.

Gordon said residents will be given a seven-day notice if their entrance will be impacted. Continuous project updates will be posted to the city’s website. 

Hunt said residents in need of accommodations during construction for medical or special needs reasons should call the field office for assistance at 216-904-5945.

18 Years in the Making

Dever said the Lake-Clifton Corridor idea came from the county looking at access points — pedestrian access points — along the entire 32 miles of coastline across Cuyahoga County.

“This was one of those projects that kind of jumped out where it’s not really pedestrian friendly to get across that bridge,” Dever said.

Hunt said research for the Lake-Clifton Corridor started back in 2008 with the Transportation for Livable Communities initiative for the cities of Rocky River and Lakewood.

“Since then you’ve all witnessed a bike lane — a separated bike facility on Clifton Road. But, the question came, ‘How do we make this a more important connection, if we feel like the pedestrians and bicycle traffic get stuck there?’,” Hunt said. “It’s kind of a linchpin of making a better connection across Rocky River.”

Hunt named several plans and studies building up to this point including the 2018 Rocky River Master Plan, the 2021 Lakefront Public Access Plan, the 2021 Clifton Boulevard Engineering Study produced by Cuyahoga County and OHM, and the 2021 Community Confluence Plan — done in conjunction with the Cleveland Metro Parks, Cuyahoga County, and the cities of Lakewood and Rocky River.

“Those top three [2021] planning studies were the impetus for moving this project along,” he said.

Hunt said the project is a collaborative effort between several entities including Cuyahoga County, the City of Lakewood, the City of Rocky River, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), engineering and design firm OHM Advisors, PERK, the Cleveland Metroparks, and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA).

Funding for the project was secured from both cities involved and through the ODOT Special Solicitation Grant, theNortheast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), theNortheast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI), and Cuyahoga County.

Hunt said the funding for the project breaks down like this: 67% federal, 14.3% from the City of Lakewood ($1.8 million, confirmed by the Lakewood Planning Department), 14.3% from Cuyahoga County, and 4.4% from the City of Rocky River (about $540,000, confirmed by the Rocky River Department of Public Safety-Service).

Hunt explained engineering work for the project went on for about three years, from January 2022 through May 2025. After several submissions and final tracings, bidding for the project began in August 2025.

Hunt said in addition to the $12.3 million going towards the construction, Cuyahoga County spent nearly $1.6 million on the engineering contract with OHM.

Dever said the amount of time it’s taken to get to this point — from planning to construction — is not atypical.

“There’s a lot of stakeholders involved in this,” Dever said. “In 2020, we started trying to get funding in order and getting the buy-in. ODOT had to get a buy into it too — we were taking all that traffic off one of their structures, which is the [Clifton Park] bridge. That was a big discussion. And, did it warrant reducing the lanes? Trevor mentioned about 10,000 vehicles a day. You don’t need a structure that size with 10,000 vehicles.”

Presentations from the public meeting are now available on the City of Lakewood website.

If issues arise at your Lakewood or Rocky River property due to the construction project, residents are advised to call the field office at 216-904-5945.