General Manager's Message
Fanno Creek Trail use gets easier, safer with ‘missing link’ filled in
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If you've walked, jogged or ridden your bicycle on one of our off-street trails, you know how good it feels when you can travel the trail for long distances uninterrupted, without having to stop for traffic or street crossings.
But the truth is, nearly all of our trails are a combination of off- and on-street routes. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the cost of building new trail segments while another is the fact our suburban neighborhoods were established long before trails became popular.
The good news is that we are improving and expanding our 60-mile trails network, thanks in large part to the voter-approved 2008 bond measure. In fact, when we're finished with bond implementation, we'll have a 10-mile continuous trail backbone extending all the way from the PCC Rock Creek Campus to Barrows Road near Tigard.
There's even more good news. Separate from the bond measure, funded by system development charges, is completion of the"missing link" in the Fanno Creek Trail.
This half-mile stretch connects sections of the trail that have existed by themselves for years. It starts at the intersection of Allen Boulevard and Scholls Ferry Road and joins the rest of the trail near the Highway 217 overpass at Denney Road.
What does this mean? Users get 4-½ miles of largely uninterrupted, paved pathway from the Garden Home area all the way to Greenway Park in south Beaverton. From Greenway Park, the trail continues south into Tigard.
There are significant community benefits to this. Users will be able to travel through the area much easier and more safely. They'll be able to enjoy more of nature along the way, too, because the project parallels Fanno Creek via 11 boardwalks over wetland areas. And the stream corridor will be restored by widening and planting thousands of native plants and shrubs.
For us, this is a landmark achievement. It's the first time an entire length of regional trail within our boundaries has been completed. It’s the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and determination by many people, and all of those individuals -- including our Trails Advisory Committee and its chair, Wendy Kroger – deserve our thanks. A community celebration is forthcoming.
So walkers, joggers and bicyclists, you've been waiting years for this. Now go enjoy it.
Doug Menke
General Manager
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
