Finishing the Historic Water Ditch Trail

When completed the Historic Water Ditch Trail will provide a 6.5 mile bicycle and pedestrian connection through south Tacoma to the southern edge of the downtown, roughly paralleling South Tacoma Way.

More than 100 years ago a system of trails connected Mount Rainier to Tacoma; the historic Water Ditch Trail was a part of that system, running through what is now south Tacoma. 

The City of Tacoma has been working to rehabilitate the 6.5-mile trail for use as a north-south arterial for cyclists and pedestrians, since breaking ground on phase one of the project in 2008.

Phases one and two rebuilt several miles of the trail to Class I bikeway standards, with a 10-foot-wide asphalt path and crushed rock shoulders. The project also improved safety features at street crossings, lighting and stormwater drainage, and ADA accessibility features. Other amenities include bike racks, signage, trash receptacles, benches, and lighting, and the conversion of an existing small parking lot to add trailhead elements at South 76th and Cedar streets.

Now the City turns to phases three and four, the final links connecting the trail to downtown Tacoma, the Tacoma Dome, and the Foss Waterway. There are four possible alignments along the South Tacoma Way Corridor between Pine and C streets, which the City will share with the public at an upcoming public meeting. Residents and business owners are invited to learn more and share their feedback at an open house on the Historic Water Ditch Trail phases three and four on Wednesday, November 19,from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.

The trail is meant to ultimately connect up with the Prairie Line Trail at the north, bringing pedestrians and cyclists through downtown Tacoma, all the way to the Foss Waterfront, and to the Pipeline Road Trail, which will connect to the Foothills Trail. At the south, the plan is for it to someday connect to the Chambers Creek Recreational Area.

Those connections are all in the future. For now, though, the City has funding to complete the nearly seven mile trail through the heart of Tacoma, making connections for non-motorized travellers.

Have you tried the existing portions of the trail? What do you hope to see in plans for a completed trail?