Three Bridges Lesson: Vote YES on 26-80
Posted by: EvanOct 19 2006, 4:06 pm
Today's Oregonian covers the opening of the Three Bridges project on the Springwater Corridor Trail.
While the story lead was about one of the bridges being orange, the grander point is this: we're almost to a point where you can travel from downtown Portland to Boring, Oregon (ok, ok, enough jokes) on a trail separated from car traffic.
The commuting possibilities are impressive; the trail is already estimated to carry 600,000 visitors a year. The missing trail piece? The so-called "Sellwood Gap" in Sellwood, a mile of easement along a rail line that lacks funding.
Where's the money going to come from to fix that? Hopefully, Measure 26-80. If the voters pass it. So get out, donate, volunteer, tell your friends that Measure 26-80 is critical to continuing this region's devotion to natural areas, parks, streams, and trails. All for less than $3 a month for the average homeowner.
Read a release about today's event and Measure 26-80.
Give some money to the campaign! Campaign donations are eligible for Oregon's Political Tax Credit.
Actually, the Oregonian got it wrong. This morning at the opening ceremony we learned that the bridge isn't orange…it's actually tabasco.
Yes, but is Measure 26-80 only going to pay for the right-of-way for the Sellwood Gap? The most expensive part of that project is likely to be the crossing over SE 17th – we're going to need some sort of bike signal like the crossings at 82nd, Foster, 122nd, etc.
Thanks for the note that we have to keep improving the Springwater!
Measure 26-80 sets up several pots of money. Two of those pots of money will be available for local improvements like those you mention, Matt.
Without 26-80, we're $230 million short on projects, and local improvements will be competing for a much smaller pool of money.
Will the Springwater Corridor Gap be finished if Measure 26-80 doesn't pass. Probably. Will it happen sooner if it does; that's what I heard from Metro staff the other day. Will we expand other regional trails connecting to the Springwater Corridor (such as the Gresham Fairview Trail and Springwater Corridor from Boring to Barton) absolutely.
Measure 26-80 would help build eight multi-use trail corridors projects around the region. The measure will also provide local share dollars to complete numerous other local trail projects. The eight regional trail corridor projects are:
Sellwood Gap of the Springwater Corridor: Last one-mile segment not in public ownership between downtown Portland and Boring, OR (21-miles). Currently, an estimated 600,000 people use the existing trail just to the east each year. The trail corridor is located in a very urban and older Portland neighborhood in southeast Portland, just south of the Sellwood Bridge.
Cazadero Trail: Descending into the steeply wooded Deep Creek canyon in eastern Damascus, the Cazadero Trail that will link Gresham, Barton and public lands in the area and complete the Springwater Corridor from downtown Portland to Barton. Acquisition of the surrounding natural areas would protect a key wildlife corridor connecting the Clackamas River to habitat areas within the more urbanized portions of the county.
Fanno Creek Greenway Trail (southwest Portland, including Johns Landing, Hillsdale, Vermont Hills, etc.; Beaverton, Tigard and Durham). A very urban trail passes through established neighborhoods connecting parks, community centers, libraries, schools, commercial and shopping areas. Thousands of homes and people are along the trail corridor. About one-half of the trail has been completed.
Westside Trail (along a power line corridor) connecting the Tualatin River north to the Willamette River just north of Forest Park. 181,000 people live within one-mile of the trail, including 46 schools, and 272 parks. Another very urban trail. The cities of Beaverton and Tigard residents will be able to use the trail daily. It is literally adjacent to their front and backyards.
Gresham / Fairview Trail: 5.2 miles connecting the Springwater Corridor Trail north to the 40-Mile Loop Trail along the Columbia River. Very urban trail with thousands of homes and residents along the corridor. The trail will cross through dozens of neighborhoods, past schools, parks, shopping districts and commercial areas.
Tonquin Trail: A proposed 12-mile trail that would connect the town centers of Wilsonville, Sherwood and Tigard. The large housing development of Villebois at the north end of Wilsvonville has already built its section of the trail as an amenity for its homeowners and renters. The trail will connect to the Fanno Creek Greenway Trail via a bike/ped bridge which is under construction over the Tualatin River. The bridge is located the Tualatin River where the cities of Durham, Tigard and Tualatin meet.
Willamette River Greenway: acquire land and right of way for future trails from Wilsonville north to Kelly Point Park (confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers). The Willamette River Greenway Trail in Portland and the suburbs would benefit from new trail segments along the river. The trail would connect to the existing Springwater on the Willamette River Trail and the future south waterfront trail adjacent to the new urban village and condos and OHSU Campus.
Columbia Slough Trail: Acquire land and right of way along the slough connecting to existing trails near the Smith and Bybee Lakes Natural Area, the Peninsula Crossing Trail and 40-Mile Loop Greenway Trail in north/northeast Portland.
In addition, Measure 26-80 will raise $44 million allocated to local park providers at the city and county levels for park related acquisition and development. Many of these projects are local trail projects. Local share trail projects include the Bronson and Rock Creek Greenway Trail in Hillsboro, Rock Creek Trail in Happy Valley, bike and pedestrian trail along the Willamette in Lake Oswego, the Boekman Creek Trail in Wilsonville, the Willamette River Greenway Trail in Portland, the Gresham Fairview Trail in Gresham, and many more. For a full list see:
http://www.savenaturalareas.org/files/8135MapBack_Protect_WLogo.pdf