Point Defiance project will help visitors walk and bike to their favorite destinations
A new loop trail at Point Defiance Park will connect pedestrians and bicyclists to popular destinations at the Tacoma park.
Metro Parks Tacoma’s Loop Trail Project will break ground Monday, starting with Phase 1. It will include a new sidewalk and improvements to Park Avenue, west of the roundabout near the Mildred Street entrance. The gravel Trolley Lane trail north of the roundabout will be paved. A small plaza at the entry to the Wilson Way Bridge and a new pedestrian crossing to the Japanese Garden will be added.
The Point Defiance Park project will have little to no impact to park users or traffic. The current cycle and pedestrian path at Wilson Way might be temporarily rerouted when the plaza is built.
“We’re excited to get started on this first phase of the Loop Trail,” Joe Brady, Metro Parks Tacoma’s deputy director of regional parks, said in a news release. “We know how much our community loves Point Defiance Park, and expanding eco-friendly access to all those attractions is a big part of protecting both the ecosystem and the park experience.”
The Loop Trail Project will create an entire loop of paved trail – separate from roadways – that will connect Wilson Way Bridge and Dune Peninsula, the Pagoda, Owen Beach, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and the roundabout. It will also connect to other trails, transit, parking and the Science and Math Institute.
Phase 2 will begin construction in 2023. The design includes:
An improved trail leading west from the Japanese Garden
A trail along the retaining wall and a boardwalk plan system to protect a key madrone tree at the picnic area.
Improvements at the North Zoo Spur on the west side of the Loop Trail to help visitors access the zoo and Environmental Learning Center
A fully multi-modal path leading south from the zoo entrance to connect with the Park Avenue segment of the trail.
The 2014 voter-approved bond will fund $3.5 million for the project and the Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office will fund another $3.5 million for the project. One percent of construction costs, $20,375, will be allocated towards public art, per Metro Parks’ public art policy.
The segments of the Loop Trail were designed by Tacoma-based BCRA to minimize disruption to the ecosystem and maximize human benefits such as safety, accessibility and enjoyment. Phase 1 has been contracted to Sound Pacific Construction.
The project was a part of the vision in Metro Parks’ 2015 Master Plan to connect visitors to the most popular areas of Point Defiance.
“The Loop Trail will continue the work envisioned in the 2015 Master Plan Update, which clearly gathered our community’s wishes for a Point Defiance Park that is accessible, connected and enjoyable for people, and a safe home for wildlife,” Park Board President Andrea Smith said in a news release. “Caring for this regional park, which is so important to so many, is a responsibility we take very seriously.”
