Pathway users in Yakima will soon have an easier time getting around town.\u00a0 Construction work began earlier this week on the Walter\u00a0Ortman Parkway project that will eventually create a 6.5 mile pedestrian-friendly loop by connecting the Powerhouse Canal Pathway with the William O. DouglasTrail.<\/p>\n
Funded with a federal grant obtained by Yakima Transit, the Ortman Parkway will add nearly a mile of new paved pathway to the City of Yakima system.\u00a0 Paragon Northwest of Yakima will serve as the primary contractor for the pathway project after having been awarded a nearly $200,000 contract. The pathway work should be completed by late spring or early summer.<\/p>\n
The project extends the pathway in North Central Yakima from Swan Avenue through McGuiness Park and eastward along Willow Street to 5th<\/sup> Avenue.\u00a0 From there, the pathway system heads north and connects with a section of the William O. Douglas Trail, an 80-mile recreational pathway that begins on 6th<\/sup> Avenue in Yakima and eventually leads to Mount Rainier National Park.<\/p>\n “This is a wonderful example of steps that are being taken to make Yakima an even better place to live” says Yakima Parks & Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson.\u00a0 \u201cPathways and urban trails provide great options to meet both the recreation and transportation needs of a community. The Ortman Parkway in particular will give kids in that part of town a safe alternative to walking in the street to and from school,\u201d said Wilkinson.<\/p>\n The 2012 City of Yakima Citizen Survey identified walking and hiking opportunities as a highly valued activity among community members.\u00a0 Walkways, pathways, and trails were identified by survey takers as priorities for City investment.\u00a0 As a result, the Yakima City Council in March approved an agreement with the Cowiche Conservancy to help promote recreational trail development by expanding pathway and hiking opportunities in the greater Yakima area.<\/p>\n