Tacoma, BNSF Railway reach agreement on downtown Prairie Line Trail

August 29, 2014 10:59 am
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Tacoma, BNSF Railway reach agreement on downtown Prairie Line Trail

City of Tacoma officials announced Friday an agreement has been reached with BNSF Railway that will help complete the Prairie Line Trail in downtown Tacoma.

According to City of Tacoma officials, the agreement authorizes BNSF Railway to donate a 20-foot-wide strip of property between South 15th Street and South 26th Street; 80-foot-wide sections of property between South 23rd Street and South 25th Street; and 80-foot-wide sections of property at street intersections. The agreement also authorizes the City of Tacoma to permanently close the A Street, East 22nd Street, and Dock Street crossings, expand the existing South 15th Street pedestrian bridge, and build a second pedestrian overpass in the future.

“This is great news for the city of Tacoma,” said Tacoma City Councilmember Robert Thoms. “Now that we have it, we’re a huge step closer to bringing the Prairie Line Trail to our community. This trail will honor Tacoma’s history, support economic development, and provide incredible public spaces to connect people to some of downtown’s most compelling places.”

The University of Washington Tacoma will open the trail segment running through campus in a few weeks. The City of Tacoma will construct the Pacific Avenue to Foss Waterway segment by summer 2015. City staff will pursue funding to allow future construction of the last third of the envisioned trail, which will run through the Brewery District and connect to the future Water Ditch Trail.

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To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of the Prairie Line Trail, click on the following links:

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