Brown Joins Irishtown Bend Project Groundbreaking In Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH -- U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined local leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Irishtown Bend Project along the Cuyahoga River.

The project will create the Irishtown Bend Park, a 23-acre green space to connect Ohio City to the Flats, downtown Cleveland, and Lake Erie. It will also play a vital role in protecting maritime commerce in the Cuyahoga River shipping channel and, by extension, the thousands of manufacturing jobs that depend on efficient cargo movement at this critical hub of the Great Lakes shipping network.

"So many of us have fought for so long to get this project done, and today we finally begin this new chapter for our lake and for Cleveland," said Brown. "The Irishtown Bend Project will play an important role in the continued economic resurgence of Northeast Ohio, connecting communities with the riverfront, protecting vital waterways, and encouraging future economic and maritime development."

"The Port of Cleveland is proud to stand alongside so many partners and community members celebrating the stabilization of Irishtown Bend. This critical economic and environmental project is the culmination of over a decade of work planning, educating and marshaling resources," said William Friedman, President and CEO of the Port of Cleveland. "Throughout that time, Senator Brown, and our Congressional and State legislative delegations have been steadfast supporters of this project and provided critical resources to our ability to be here today."

Brown delivered nearly $32 million in federal investment that made the project possible. In 2019, Brown successfully securedmore than $9 million through the Department of Transportation's Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program for the project. Additionally, $5 million for the project was made possible by the American Rescue Plan, and another $16 million was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. Brown helped write and pass the three pieces of legislation.

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