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01/28/2003 TUE 13:06 FAX 541 682 6826 CITY OF EUGENE PW ADMIN 0 001/001 <br /> • <br /> YwYrw t <br /> EUGENE eiNs-. <br /> January 28, 2003 <br /> CONTACT: Diane Bishop, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, 541-682-5471 <br /> From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 <br /> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /> BIKE PATH DEDICATION EVENT HONORS FORMER EUGENE MAYOR RUTH BASCOM <br /> A ceremony will be held Friday, January 31, to cut the ribbon on the final segment of the <br /> East Bank Trail and dedicate Eugene's 12-mile-long riverbank trail system to former Mayor Ruth <br /> Bascom. The event begins at noon at the north end of the Greenway Bridge (southwest corner <br /> of the Valley River Center parking lot). Eugene Councilor Gary Pape' will serve as master of <br /> ceremonies, and speakers will include Mayor Jim Torrey and Congressman Peter DeFazio. <br /> Work began in June 2002 to construct the final section of the East Bank Trail from the <br /> Greenway Bicycle Bridge to the south boundary of River Island Estates. The concrete <br /> bike/pedestrian path is about a mile long and includes an 800-foot-long causeway/bridge over <br /> Delta Ponds. Funding for the $2.5 million project included a substantial contribution by adjacent <br /> property owners to construct the causeway. <br /> The completion of the East Bank Trail provides a vital link in the riverbank trail system, <br /> which runs from Green Acres Road to East Alton Baker Park on the east and north banks of the <br /> Willamette River, and from the Knickerbocker Bridge to the Owosso Bridge on the south and <br /> west banks. Work on the riverbank trail system began in the early 1970s with the construction <br /> of the Autzen Footbridge and a portion of the North Bank Trail through Alton Baker Park. <br /> Ruth Bascom, who served as mayor of Eugene from 1993-96, has for many years been <br /> one of the City's most active advocates for the development of bicycling and walking trails in the <br /> city. In recognition of her vision, her efforts to gain funding for riverbank trail projects, and her <br /> support for the expansion and completion of the trail system, the Eugene City Council earlier <br /> this month approved naming the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System. <br /> *.# Aieilgi *_ Ip;+e+art ,' `tda' <br />