While walkers, runners and cyclists explored the Marine Drive Trail this July, Metro paved the way for an expansion of the popular pathway on four properties near the Portland-Gresham border.
Metro has secured rights to build more than 1,000 feet of trail – nearly the equivalent of one lap around a track – on an expanse of land flanking Northeast 185th Avenue. This investment in recreation and active transportation is funded by the region's voter-approved 2006 natural areas bond measure.
Metro's four new trail easements will help close a one-mile gap, one of several in the paved pathway tracing Marine Drive and the Columbia River. Eventually, the Marine Drive Trail will stretch 20 miles from the St. Johns neighborhood in North Portland eastward to Troutdale, offering spectacular views of water, wildlife and mountain peaks.
"As the Marine Drive Trail grows, so do opportunities for people to connect with nature," said Metro Council President David Bragdon. "Voters asked the Metro Council not only to protect special places, but also to link those special places with trails."
Metro invests the region's $227 million bond measure in 27 key areas across the region, including several trails. Closing gaps in pedestrian and cycling paths requires cooperation from numerous private landowners and public agencies.
In this case, Metro's natural areas team negotiated agreements to extend the Marine Drive Trail onto four landowners' properties. The City of Gresham will manage the easements on the three parcels east of 185th Avenue, with trail construction scheduled for three to six years if funding is secured as anticipated. The City of Portland expects to extend the trail on the western parcel within approximately two years.
"A lot of people are coming together to make the Marine Drive Trail a reality," said Metro Councilor Rod Park, who represents District 1 on the east side of the region. "But, when the trail is built, walkers and bike riders won't need to worry about property easements and construction plans. They can just enjoy the view."