CLEVELAND, OH — A 30-month-long effort to stabilize and rehabilitate the Irishtown Bend hillside in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood has reached a significant milestone with completion of a new bulkhead wall along the Cuyahoga River. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (CCCPA) project was initiated to shore up a collapsing slope sliding toward the river to prevent potential significant or long-term disruptions to commercial shipping traffic. The river’s federal navigation channel is used to move raw material and product deliveries that support over 22,000 jobs and the region’s economy.
Serving as CCCPA’s owner’s representative, Wade Trim has been providing full construction management and inspection services for the project since June 2023.
The 2,400-linear-foot riverfront bulkhead consists of pipe piles driven in the hard pan clay strata of the river with steel sheeting installed between. Each pile is anchored with cables at a 45-degree angle down into the bedrock and tied off at the top of the bulkhead. The area between the hillside and new bulkhead was backfilled with open-graded stone to provide a permeable zone against the new wall, preventing water buildup and reducing insitu soil pressure to promote long-term structural integrity. Green bulkhead features installed between pipe piles include native plantings and baskets filled with woody debris recovered from the river. These materials will jumpstart the river’s ecosystem by creating habitat zones for small fish and their food sources.
The Wade Trim team worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and commercial shipping entities to establish a Regulated Navigation Area during in-water construction activities, ensuring safe working conditions for construction crews while minimizing impacts to commercial shipping operations. To reduce impacts to the surrounding residents and businesses, a vibratory hammer — rather than a traditional impact hammer — was used to drive piles into the hard pan clay, lowering noise levels by 75 percent and reducing vibrations.
Remaining work through spring of 2026 will focus on storm sewer installation, hillside grading, and permanent restoration of site vegetation and access paths. Once completed, the $60 million stabilization project will provide the platform for a new green space park connecting residents to the riverfront and a riverfront trail that links the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to Lake Erie.
