Looking east on the path where the city of Albany has planned an improved South Waterfront Trail, on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
You can walk from Bowman Park to Talking Water Gardens and back along a well trodden path. Albany’s plans call for this path to be improved as the South Waterfront Trail, but carrying out that plan will have to wait.
I took that route on Thursday after reading a press release from the Oregon Department of Transportation. Here, take a look.
Thursday’s press release from ODOT said he Oregon Transportation Commission had approved recommendations for 25 community path projects to receive a total of nearly $35 million in grants.
Albany’s request for more than $3 million for the South Waterfront Trail did not make the cut. It was listed as an alternate instead.
While I was familiar with this particular path, I could not remember it being called the South Waterfront Trail.
City City Engineer Staci Belcastro refreshed my memory. She sent me this:
“The South Waterfront Trail is a multi-use path along the south bank of the Willamette River between Bowman Park and Talking Water Gardens. Construction of the path would complete a gap in the existing riverfront trail system. The route is over land that the city already owns or has acquired easements for, and the project is listed in both the Transportation System Plan and Parks Master Plan. We thought the project was a good fit for the grant but unfortunately it is listed as an alternate for this round of grant funding. “
As for possible grant funding, better luck next time. There is also, though, something to be said for leaving the trail alone for now, without spending millions of dollars to improve it.
I’ve enjoyed riding my mountain bike along this route, at least until they put wood chips on the section in front of the new Banks apartments this spring. The wood chips ruined that section for bike riding, though they may help walkers when it rains.
The rest of the path remains the way it has long been: remote, narrow in spots, muddy in winter, and fun to ride. (hh)
At the rate of $25 per hour of labor, $3,000,000 would produce 120,000 man hours of labor. I don’t know how long the trail is but this just shows how ridiculous the goverment is and how much money they waste. Why don’t you request the government give the Boys and Girls club the $3,000,000 and let them build the trail using volunteer labor, equipment, and materials. Eventually it will come to individuals as the cost of government contracts continues to rise at a rate at least double the inflation rate, much like hospital costs have gone up since the government got involved with Medicare. I did some of the original medicate audits on hospitals and I remember the room rate at Goldendale Hospital was $75 per day. I also spent 7 days in the hospital in 1960 including having an operation, bridge put in mouth, etc. and it cost the insurance company $5,400. Anything the government gets involved with excalates costs enormously because as Mr. Woods has said on numerous occasions, ROI is not part of the government decision!
Maybe if they put 3/4 minus gravel down on the path.. it would not cost 3 million dollars and the gravel sinks down so it becomes hard and easy to ride on. I would rather see the Albany taxpayers pay for something like this than the “Bulb Outs” they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on downtown.. those are a joke….
Get the folks that resurfaced Madison. That fiasco looks (and feels) like about $30.
I like the path as it is. From Talking Waters parking lot to the end of the path and back. I think it would make a great path for off leash walking of dogs
Just to be clear, the story is about the trail between Bowman Park and Talking Waters.
There’s only one part of Albany that seems to get any substantial funding for amenities. It takes an organized volunteer effort to get things outside that area.