Gates Mills Boulevard used to have a 130-foot-wide grass median that people drove past and rarely walked. A paved path now runs down the middle of it, lined with nearly 200 new trees, and Mayor Richard Bain calls it a "linear park." cleveland.com reported both the old median and the mayor's phrase this spring. At the Shaker Boulevard Circle, that path meets the older median trail on Shaker Boulevard, which goes west through Beachwood and into Shaker Heights. Together they form one route that now runs most of the way to Cedar Road. Most of this winter's construction is off the median, on the Brainard Road and Fairmount Boulevard walkways that will let more streets reach the trail on foot.
One route, built in four pieces
The boulevard trail is the newest section of a median path that took about two decades to build. Each city added its own piece, and the published lengths add up to roughly five and a half miles.
| Segment | Runs between | Length | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaker Median Trail, Shaker Heights | Warrensville Center Road to Sulgrave Road | 1.5 miles | 2007 |
| Shaker Median Trail, Beachwood and Pepper Pike | Sulgrave Road east to the Brainard/Shaker circle | about 1.5 miles | Beachwood's section 2004 |
| Gates Mills Boulevard Trail, Phase 1 | Shaker Boulevard Circle to Lander Road and Ursuline College | 1.5 miles | Opened June 20, 2025 |
| Gates Mills Boulevard Trail, Phase 2 | Lander and Fairmount circle to just short of Cedar Road | nearly 1 mile | Path built in 2026; work continues through spring 2027 |
The City of Shaker Heights' trail listing describes its 1.5-mile paved section and says it connects to another 1.5 miles of paved trail in Beachwood and Pepper Pike. A 2022 cleveland.com commentary dates Beachwood's 1.2-mile median park to 2004 and Shaker Heights' path to 2007. Phase 1 cost $1.6 million and opened on June 20, 2025, according to cleveland.com's coverage of the opening. The landscape architecture firm MKSK designed its plantings, and the city hired the same firm for Phase 2.
A 2025 Chagrin Valley Times report describes the Gates Mills Boulevard path as part of the county's Eastside Greenway project. So the path is part of a county plan. The boulevard is where Pepper Pike's share of that plan got built.
The Lander circle is the one place the trail changes shape
Between Phase 1 and Phase 2, the route meets the roundabout where Lander Road crosses Fairmount Boulevard. The design takes walkers and cyclists around the circle. They never cross into the middle of it. Pepper Pike official Sheehy explained the reasoning to City Council in February, as cleveland.com reported:
"The circle is not a great spot for bicycles or pedestrians to cross."
The path also gets narrower here. Sheehy told council that one half of the route around the circle would be a 10-foot-wide trail, and the other half would match the 5-foot-wide Lander Road sidewalk. For a family riding two abreast or someone pushing a stroller, the 5-foot side is the narrowest part of the whole route. It's also the spot where Phase 1 ends and Phase 2 begins.
What's done on Phase 2 and what continues into 2027
In March, the city expected the Phase 2 path to be done "well before the end of summer." The September 2026 Pepper Pike Post reported the trail portion complete. Retaining walls and landscaping were still to come, with the whole phase due in spring 2027. The October issue, with updates as of Oct. 1, said a Phase II contract had been awarded and work would begin in mid-October and continue through spring 2027.
Taken together, the newsletters describe this stretch for the rest of the year. The path is built, and the median around it will be an active work site through the winter.
- Phase 1, Shaker Boulevard Circle to Lander Road: open, planted and finished.
- Phase 2, Lander and Fairmount circle toward Cedar: path in place, with retaining walls and landscaping under contract through spring 2027.
- Brainard Road, Shaker Boulevard to Fairmount Boulevard, and Fairmount Boulevard, Brainard to Butternut: walkway installation in progress as of Oct. 1.
- Brainard Road, Cedar Road to North Woodland and Fairmount: construction underway as of Oct. 1.
The city's Construction Updates and Road Closures page is where it posts changes between newsletters.
The Brainard and Fairmount walkways change who can walk to the trail
The median trail only helps people who can reach it. Until now, many people drove to City Hall and started there. A 2021 plan for the trail named City Hall parking near the trail's start as the proposed parking option. The city's trail fact sheet said the project would add no new parking lots, structures or lights.
The walkways under construction this fall are the trail's side connections. The Brainard Road walkway runs from Shaker Boulevard to Fairmount Boulevard, and the Fairmount Boulevard walkway continues from Brainard to Butternut. A second Brainard section reaches from Cedar Road to North Woodland and Fairmount. In September, the city said the Brainard walkway should be finished by winter 2026 and warned drivers to expect delays while crews work. The newsletters don't say how the new walkways will tie into the median path. The city does describe the trail system as linking city assets such as the Shaker/Brainard Circle Park and Pepper Pike Park, and the Brainard work runs between those same roads.
Three outings from City Hall, using routes the city has already run
Pepper Pike City Hall and Pepper Pike Park share the address 28000 Shaker Boulevard, and the city started its spring trail event there. For the April 25 Celebrate Trails Day, Bike Cleveland and the city offered three routes from there. They still work for an ordinary weekend.
- The out-and-back walk, up to three miles. Walk east along Gates Mills Boulevard and turn around when you want to. Phase 1 ends at Lander Road, so this walk stays on the fully finished section.
- The three-mile Gates Mills ride. A bike loop on the boulevard trail alone. Before you ride past the Lander circle into Phase 2, check the construction page, since crews will be working there until spring.
- The seven-mile round trip. Ride both the Gates Mills Boulevard Trail and the Shaker Median Trail, heading west at the Shaker Boulevard Circle through Beachwood toward Shaker Heights and back.
On Oct. 4, Mayor Bain led a Bike with the Mayor ride from the City Hall lot on the Gates Mills Boulevard trails and city streets, open to riders of all ages and skill levels. The trail has no lights, by design, so in November and December the boulevard is a daytime route. The city has placed dog waste stations along the trail system and has asked people walking dogs to use them.
Where the path ends
Phase 2 stops just short of Cedar Road at the Mayfield Heights line. A small refuge island is planned for people crossing there. The 2026 cleveland.com report said Mayfield Heights had not revisited its own proposed median trail since it declined to move ahead with it in 2022. That leaves Cedar Road as the eastern end of the route for now. Phase 2 was estimated at about $1 million, with a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources secured toward it.
When the walls and plantings are done next spring, the boulevard will be a finished linear park from the Shaker Boulevard Circle to the edge of Cedar Road. It will connect west to Warrensville Center Road, and the new Brainard and Fairmount walkways will give more streets a way to reach it on foot.
If you're thinking about how the new boulevard trail and the Brainard walkways fit into a future move within Pepper Pike, or how to describe that access when you sell, Christopher Wertz and the Wertz Group can walk through it with you on your timeline. Schedule a Consultation when it suits you.
