The Ridgewood Drive bridge over West Creek in Parma has been rebuilt after more than 100 years in service, giving drivers, cyclists and hikers a sturdier crossing that, according to cleveland.com, county officials say is designed to last another 75 years. Cuyahoga County announced the completed replacement this week, capping a project that improves stormwater flow beneath the span.
According to Cuyahoga County, the project cost roughly $2.6 million, supported in part by $2 million in federal funding and a $519,232 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission, as reported by cleveland.com. The county's public works department awarded a $2,316,572.50 construction contract to Schirmer Construction LLC. The new bridge is described as safer and more durable than the structure it replaced.
The replacement follows more than a century of service from the original Ridgewood Drive bridge over West Creek.
A Key Link to West Creek Reservation
The bridge carries West Ridgewood Drive — officially Cuyahoga County Road 65 — across West Creek between State Road and Broadview Road, per the county's own project documentation. It also connects with Cleveland Metroparks' West Creek Reservation. The bridge's improved stormwater capacity is a technical feature of the project. Cleveland Metroparks says West Creek Reservation features trails, underscoring the span's importance to nonmotorized users.
West Creek’s Role in Development and Preservation
The West Creek watershed has influenced settlement and development patterns for two centuries and drains Parma, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights, Independence and portions of North Royalton and Broadview Heights before reaching the Cuyahoga River, according to Cleveland Metroparks. Preservation efforts have also shaped the area around the creek. West Creek says a 300-acre natural area in the upper West Creek Valley was targeted in the mid-1990s for a shopping center and Parma’s second golf course before local preservation efforts protected the land.
The reservation itself is in Parma. West Creek Conservancy is associated with the area.
The Ridgewood project is part of broader county work involving West Creek.
Room to Grow the Trail Network
The bridge site is part of a broader network of roads and trails in the watershed. County officials have not announced a timeline for building trail connections onto the new span. A separate trail project is also part of the broader discussion.
Before construction began, the project underwent planning, according to county materials. The project was also considered in county planning discussions.
Part of a Bigger Bridge Workload
The Ridgewood Drive project is one piece of a much larger maintenance load for the county. Cuyahoga County's Department of Public Works oversees a network of bridges and other structures. That ongoing capital plan is aimed at addressing aging bridges and culverts across the county as they reach the end of their service life, much like the Ridgewood span did after a century of use. The Cuyahoga County agenda also lists public works funding for 2024 and 2025.
The investment carries extra weight in Parma, a Cuyahoga County suburb. Public parkland and housing are part of the city's landscape. In a suburb with green space, a safer, wider bridge into a reservation stands to matter well beyond the daily commute.
