What we delivered

  • Expansion of public space and creation of natural habitats along Cleveland’s East Side Lake Erie shoreline.

  • Enhancement of coastal resilience to protect the environment, community, and critical infrastructure using dredge from Lake Erie.

  • Reconnection of communities to the lake and remediation of damage from unjust development practices and industrial use.

Services used
Bridge design and engineering / Civil engineering / Climate change risk, resilience and adaptation / Ground engineering and hydrogeology /

Get in touch with our team

The port and maritime industry in Cleveland generates $4.7 billion in economic value annually and sustains more than 22,000 jobs. It is imperative that shipping channels are maintained through dredging to enable this activity. 

At the same time, Lake Erie’s shoreline on the city of Cleveland’s East Side represents an intersection of several critical issues. The shoreline has poor habitats for fish and wildlife, limited access to the water, minimal protection measures for storm surges, and an interstate highway vulnerable to flooding and ice. As such, the natural environment and surrounding community have suffered over the years. As stakeholders began to recognize the need to design and implement an inclusive and restorative solution with long term benefits for ecological, social, and physical resiliency, the idea of CHEERS was born.

Arup has provided a wide range of services to help advance the CHEERS project for implementation from the masterplan previously completed by WRT Design. The project team has served as a prime consultant to the Port of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, and other project partners, leveraging its global and multidisciplinary expertise to effectively manage, design, and realize this crucial and multifaceted project.

The CHEERS project is expansive, imaginative, and creative in its approach, not just seeking to mitigate potential damages but envisioning a more holistic and fulfilling existence for the surrounding people and wildlife.

The project aims to set up Cleveland’s East Side for a thriving future, with a stronger connection to nature, a resilient shoreline, and sustainable, economic growth. 

Improving resilience

For over 70 years, there has been limited access to the water’s edge due to vertical seawalls, revetments, and breakwaters. The new park will include a softened shoreline for coastal protection, natural habitat, and the ability to finally touch the water. The armouring along the park edge and new topography of the park will help mitigate storm surge damage at the interstate highway route 90. Meanwhile, the shape of the park will help create a cove to allow recreational opportunities for the community.

To ensure future preparedness, anticipated climate change impacts on storm frequency, intensity, and duration were considered in identifying stormwater management solutions. We prioritized green infrastructure solutions that would be most effective in stormwater volume control and most adaptable to the evolving impacts of climate change on storm patterns. Arup’s stormwater solution designs for the park include: constructed wetlands, dry detention, subsurface detention, and permeable pavers. These solutions will also incorporate educational aspects to raise awareness and understanding of responsible stormwater management practices and further support the project’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Project Management

Successful delivery of this innovative project depends on the ability to bring together multiple disciplines and experts to integrate port operations, placemaking, community engagement, and resilient design. Arup forged a truly collaborative partnership with our local team to bring in our experts on maritime, geotechnical, and water engineering to develop a path forward for the coastal protection and dredge management plan.

Our civil engineers, sustainability and resilience consultants, transportation planners, and bridge engineers worked simultaneously with the team’s landscape architects for a design that integrates park features, habitat creation, and water-dependent uses to help meet the regulatory process. In addition to providing our technical expertise, Arup also supported the client on identifying funding, grants, and financing options to enable the many different facets of the project.  

Partners & collaborators

WRT / KS Associates / Davey Resource Group / CT Consultants / ASC Environmental