The City of Tacoma is developing a conceptual design plan for a portion of the Prairie Line Trail, a project to convert a former rail corridor into a pedestrian/bicycle trail and linear park through the heart of downtown Tacoma. As part of the public design process, the community is invited to an open house to learn about the project on Thurs., March 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue.

The City received a $465,000 grant from the Puget Sound Regional Council to fund the design and preliminary engineering of the trail. After the public design process ends this summer, the City will seek funding for construction, pending land donation from Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

“The Prairie Line Trail is a great opportunity to convert a former rail corridor into a distinctive public space and become a catalyst for further downtown economic development,” said Tacoma City Councilmember Ryan Mello. “We hope the trail will serve as a unifying feature connecting different districts of downtown Tacoma and become an attractive gathering space honoring the history, culture and environment of the site.”

The project area is an approximately one-mile segment of the historic rail corridor, beginning at the south end of downtown, running through the Brewery District, the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) campus, crossing Pacific Avenue and then arriving at the Thea Foss Waterfront. UWT is designing the portion of trail that runs through their campus (S. 17th Street to S. 21st Street). The City of Tacoma’s effort pertains to the segments to the north (Dock Street to 17th Street) and south (S. 21st Street to S. 25th Street) of the UWT campus.

More information about the Prairie Line Trail is available online at cityoftacoma.org/planning.