SNOHOMISH – The city Monday started construction of the last leg of the Riverfront Trail, hoping to finish by the end of the year.
“It will bring more people. It will bring business,” Mayor Liz Loomis said.
The project will finish extending the trail along the Snohomish River for about 500 feet from Kla Ha Ya Park to the corner of First Street and Avenue D, probably in late December, said Ann Caley, project manager.
That will finish the $2.19 million project to improve and extend the trail, which was damaged by a major flood in 1995.
In 2004, the city stretched the trail north, close to Second Street. The funding came from the city’s own pocket and state and federal grants.
The trail’s total length will be about 3,200 feet, Caley said.
The construction will bring noise to the already busy First Street area, but the result will be rewarding, Caley said. The sidewalk on the southeast corner of First Street and Avenue D will be rebuilt and widened, and bicyclists will be able to ride through town on the trail instead of using First Street.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience,” she said.
The city has come a long way to complete the trail, which residents began envisioning about a decade ago.
“It’s about time,” Loomis said.
The city’s next project will be to connect the Riverfront Trail and the Centennial Trail, which runs along the Pilchuck River to Lake Stevens and then to Arlington. Snohomish County now plans to extend the trail to the Skagit County line.
The extension will likely cost about $1.64 million and could be done in 2008, Caley said. The city has secured about $1.39 million from city and federal funds.
The project is on the city’s priority list and still has some hurdles to jump over, Loomis said.
“It’s definitely doable,” she said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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