In order to keep up with social distancing mandates and recommendations made by the state of Ohio, the Cleveland Metroparks announced closures of some of their most popular destinations and assorted road restrictions to allow more room for pedestrians and bicyclists.
DeWine had recently been asked at one of his daily press conferences about people crowding park areas and said he hoped everyone would engage in proper distancing practices so he didn't have to issue an order to close state parks.
“Frankly, our state parks are pretty big. If people want to walk in our state parks, they have ample opportunity to do that social distancing," he said, though further orders or order clarifications arrive daily.
This decision by the Metroparks will ideally force people who have otherwise been ignoring social distancing rules to do so, and to give wider berth in the parkways for everyone to enjoy the fresh air as the weather warms up.
“Cleveland Metroparks has experienced a surge of park visitors over the past several weeks,” Brian M. Zimmerman, Cleveland Metroparks CEO, said in a statement. “We want to keep our parks open and be of service to the community during this difficult time but we need everyone to follow proper social distancing. These additional steps will effectively turn some of our roads into 20-foot-wide trails to encourage people to spread out and provide proper distance between other park users.”
The following roads will be closed to motorists but open for pedestrians and bicyclists:
Brecksville Reservation:
Meadows Drive between Chippewa Creek Drive and Valley Parkway
Rocky River Reservation:
Valley Parkway from Spafford Road to Berea Falls
Hogsback Lane
Rockcliffe Drive
South Chagrin Reservation:
Hawthorn Parkway between Route 91 and Arbor Lane
In addition, several outdoor areas and amenities where space is limited will be closed for the immediate future including:
Edgewater Pier
Euclid Beach Pier
Fort Hill Stairs
Squire’s Castle
Please visit
clevelandmetroparks.com for all the latest closures.
