(Photo: Will Vanlue)
Last week we showed you a few pictures of the not-quite-finished section of the Fanno Creek Trail which connects the intersection of Scholls Ferry Road and Allen Blvd to the end of 105th Court near the intersection of Denney Road and Highway 217.
At the time there were a few details that needed to be finished on the trail and construction crews were asking people to stay clear of the trail.
Now that construction has finished, Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) has officially opened the new section of trail.
(Full PDF map)
THPRD is hoping the new section will increase use of the north section of the Fanno Creek Trail.
Electronic counters estimate that approximately 70,000-80,000 people use the trail’s north segment each year, while counters on the southern section of the trail estimate that 120,000 people pass through the tunnel under Scholls Ferry Road.
“The Fanno Creek Trail is already very popular, and we expect it to be even more popular now that this new segment is finished,” said Hal Bergsma, THPRD’s director of Planning. “Until now, when trail users came to the missing link, they had to figure out on their own how to reconnect with the trail. Now, their path is mostly uninterrupted.”
Unfortunately the new paved section of the Fanno Creek Trail isn’t entirely continuous. As Bergsma said, the new section only provides a “mostly uninterrupted” connection between THPRD’s Garden Home Recreation Center and Tigard’s Englewood Park near Scholls Ferry Road.
One remaining section, near the City of Beaverton operations facility and Scholls Ferry Road, is only a gravel path. That section will remain unpaved until Washington County completes a bridge replacement and road widening project nearby.
More information can be found on THPRD’s website or by calling them at 503-645-6433.
We’ve heard that some readers have already ridden on the new section of trail. Are you one of them? Tell us what you think in the comments.
— Read more Washington County bike news here. Contact Will Vanlue, will [at] bikeportland.org with tips and feedback.