Grand Opening ceremony ahead for Gig Harbor Donkey Creek restoration project

The City of Gig Harbor plans to mark the completion of the $3.7 million Donkey Creek and Estuary Restoration Project during a grand opening ceremony next week.

The project, which encompasses nearly 13 acres and began in March, restored the creek and estuary from Donkey Creek Park to the harbor and constructing roadway improvements on Austin Street, North Harborview Drive and Harborview Drive to reconfigure the traffic flow and provide widened sidewalks for pedestrians. A bridge was constructed along North Harborview Drive in order to remove 300 feet of culvert pipe and restore Donkey Creek between the park and the harbor. A trail connecting Donkey Creek Park to Austin Estuary Park was constructed along the restored portion of the creek and estuary.

Kirkland, Wash.-based MidMountain Contractors was the general construction contractor. Two federal grants helped pay for the project, including nearly $1.5 million from the 2010 Transportation and Housing & Urban Development Appropriations Bill, and $800,000 from the 2009 Interior Appropriations Bill.

The grand opening ceremony will be held on Weds., Oct. 23, between 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Harbor History Museum, located at 4121 Harborview Drive, in downtown Gig Harbor. The ceremony will include a ribbon-cutting and guest speakers from the City of Gig Harbor, visiting dignitaries and representatives from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Canoe Family, which will perform a blessing and songs. Also included will be tours of the Donkey Creek project area and light refreshments.

More information is available online at donkeycreekrestoration.com.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Gig Harbor’s Donkey Creek and Estuary Restoration Project, click on the following links: