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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />November 10, 2011 <br /> <br />CONTACT: <br />Patrick Cox, Project Manager, 541-682-6854 <br /> <br />From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 or 541-954-2938 <br />FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /> <br /> <br />West Bank Multi-Use Path Extension to Open This Weekend <br /> <br />Work has been completed on a $1.6 million extension of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path <br />in the River Road-Santa Clara area, and the multi-use path extension will be open for public use <br />beginning this weekend. <br />Knife River Corporation, working under contract to the Eugene Public Works Department, <br />began work early this year to extend the path from River Avenue, under the Randy Pape’ Beltline, <br />along Division Avenue to Beaver Street. The primary source of funding for the project was a federal <br />transportation enhancement grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation. <br />The project extends the existing West Bank trail to connect the River Road and Santa Clara <br />neighborhoods. Previously, bicyclists and pedestrians wishing to cross the Beltline corridor had to <br />use River Road, a busy arterial street with five lanes of traffic moving approximately 32,000 vehicles <br />a day. The extended trail provides a safer option that reduces the number of vehicle conflicts with <br />pedestrian and bicycle movements. The project also provides a connection from Eugene’s Bascom <br />Riverbank Trail System to the street system north of Beltline. <br />The new 12-foot-wide, concrete path is about 3,200 feet long and includes pedestrian-scale <br />lighting, a retaining wall next to the Willamette River under Beltline, and an undercrossing at the <br />main truck entrance to the Delta Sand & Gravel yard on Division Avenue. <br />The extension to the West Bank Path segment brings the total length of the Riverbank Path <br />system to approximately 14.5 miles: 2.7 miles on the West Bank Path, 4 miles on the South Bank <br />Path, 2.8 miles on the East Bank Path, and 5 miles on the North Bank Path. The path system is <br />named for former Mayor Ruth Bascom, who was an avid cyclist and a strong advocate for bicycling <br />facilities in Eugene. <br />Also this summer, the segment of the South Bank Path was reconstructed from Greenway <br />Bridge to the RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground in Skinner Butte Park using voter-approved <br />bond measure funds. <br /># # # <br /> <br />Public Works Administration ● City of Eugene ● 101 E. Broadway, Suite 400, Eugene, OR 97401 <br />Phone 541-682-8421 ● Fax 541-682-6826 ● www.eugene-or.gov/pw <br />