The News Tribune (Lite) - Ground broken for new Tacoma trail

TheNewsTribune.com
Section: Adventure

Ground broken for new Tacoma trail

CRAIG HILL; craig.hill@thenewstribune.com
Eight dignitaries ceremoniously shoveled a spadeful of soil apiece Tuesday morning at South Park, signifying the beginning of construction of Tacoma’s newest multipurpose trail.

About 40 people, a third of them Spandex-clad cyclists, were on hand for the 30-minute celebration of the Water Ditch Trail, which will link Lakewood and downtown Tacoma.

DISTANCE: Construction has begun on Phase One, two sections of the trail covering about two miles. When the trail is complete, it will be 61/2 miles.

SURFACE: The trail will be a 14-foot-wide asphalt path with gravel shoulders. According to a statement from the City of Tacoma, the trail will include Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps and crossings. Pedestrian-activated traffic lights will be installed at some intersections.

LOCATION: The trail eventually will run from the Tacoma Dome to about 80th Street and South Tacoma Way. Phase One will pave sections between 48th and 56th streets and 60th and 72nd streets.

HISTORY: The trail will follow the path of the 1896 Water Ditch Trail that crossed Tacoma. Several trail advocates, including Dana Brown of the city’s engineering department, former Tacoma urban planner Scott Pierson and Bob Myrick of the Tacoma Wheelmen Bicycle Club, have been working on building the trail for 20 years. Pierson, who dedicated his 23-year career to building a network of bike paths and lanes around Tacoma, died in 2001.

THE VISION: Myrick says he’d like to see the trail eventually link to the year-old Scott Pierson Trail, which runs along Highway 16 from the Allenmore Golf Course over the Narrows Bridge. The trail could also link to a future trail on the Prairie Line rail bed, which runs across the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

TIME FRAME: While Phase One could be done in November if weather permits, it’s unclear when Phase Two will start. “Don’t expect it to be done in six months,” Tacoma Councilwoman Connie Ladenberg said during Tuesday’s ceremony. “It depends on funding.”

COST: Phase One will cost $660,000 for construction plus $280,000 for engineering and design, Brown said. It was paid for without the benefit of grants. Phase Two will cost an estimated $980,000, and the city is applying for a grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.

Craig Hill: 253-597-8497

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