Trails, pedestrian access fruits of first 20 years of multimodal system
A walking trail takes off from the parking lot at Blue Heron Park, one of the trails built during the first 20 years of establishing the Moses Lake multimodal system.
FILE PHOTO
MOSES LAKE — Almost two decades after Moses Lake residents started building a walking trail system, some work is done, some is still left to do, and some projects have been abandoned. Participants in planning the “multimodal” system conducted a review of the project and will present their report to the Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday.
The original plan dates to 2005; some priorities have changed in the 19 years since, but some haven’t.
The plan is designed to look at all the methods people use to get around and, said Louis Logan of the Trails Planning Team, find ways for them to work together.
The plan does have an emphasis on non-motorized travel. It looks at priorities then and now, progress in building a trails system, what projects are underway and what’s still to be done.
The top priority hasn’t changed between 2005 and 2024 – people want walking and biking access to the lakeshore. Participants were more interested in access to downtown than they were in 2005, making that the second priority in 2024. Participants do want access to city parks, although park access dropped down the priority list.
Wherever there are trails, people want them to be safe; safety was the top concern for trail system improvement for 2024. People also want separation between the trail system and motor vehicle traffic and more trees. Lighting and restrooms also were priorities, both in 2005 and 2024, although both dropped down the priority list.
More people said they would use the trails in 2024, with about 83% of participants saying they would use the trails weekly, up from 40% in 2005.
In the first 20 years, most of the completed projects have centered around access to Moses Lake, the peninsula area and Interstate 90. Many projects are in progress; some have become outdated and have been dropped.
The Neppel Trail has been built along Marina Drive and from Blue Heron Park to Moses Pointe. Walking and biking access has been added along Broadway Avenue and a bike lane has been added on Valley Road. Pedestrian access for fishing has been added to the westbound shoulder of I-90.
City officials are working on a walking and biking trail along State Route 17 starting at Patton Boulevard. An allocation for planning for a trail to North Grape Drive is included in the 2025 Washington State Department of Transportation proposed 2025-29 transportation plan.
Pedestrian crossings of SR 17 are also in the planning stages. Planning is underway for a shared bike path and parking along Airway Drive and improvements to an activity trail along Valley Road.
The area around McCosh Park and West Third Avenue, and along Division Street South, is scheduled to get more trail connections. Planners would like to build a trail along the existing railroad bed from Montlake Park to Pelican Point, but any work along the railway will have to wait until the tracks are permanently taken out of service. Port of Moses Lake officials are working on a project to restore rail service to port property and the area along Wheeler Road, which will move the rail line east of town.
Other plans include a loop trail through the Cascade Valley and a pedestrian walkway over Stratford Road at Neppel Landing. A pedestrian crossing is planned at SR 17 and Airway Drive, a new BMX park at the northwest corner of SR 17 and Patton, and a trail directory near Big Bend Community College.
Improvements to the area around Elgin Road have been dropped from the project list, as has a proposal for a trail along a section of Parker Horn.