New Boeckman Trail to Level Up Wilsonville’s Walkability
Nearly two decades have passed since Wilsonville produced the City’s 2006 Bike and Pedestrian Connectivity Plan, which articulated the vision for a more connected community.
The plan envisioned a community where residents could safely walk or bike directly from their neighborhood to parks, schools, shops, jobs, transit stops and other local amenities.
It details future projects that would provide new connections. Wilsonville “will reap the health, economic, and safety benefits of these improvements for generations to come,” touted the plan, developed in concert with the City’s Transportation System Plan and Parks Master Plan.
Together, these plans have served the community as intended, as catalysts to support “active living” for Wilsonville residents. New roadways are now built with dedicated pedestrian facilities, bridges are planned to allow safe crossing of I-5 and the Willamette River, and new pathways are being pursued to provide new opportunities for recreation and exploration.
“The most walkable communities are generally the healthiest and happiest communities,” said Community Development Director Chris Neamtzu. “Providing trails and safe pedestrian facilities is strongly correlated with safety, improved mental and physical health, and higher property values. Adding these amenities is a priority.”
The Boeckman Trail and Sewer Interceptor Project
The newest project underway to enhance Wilsonville’s walkability is the Boeckman Creek Trail, which would provide safe passage from Memorial Park to Boeckman Road for residents on the City’s east side. Planners are now engaging with trail neighbors, and preliminary planning has just begun.
The City’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan described the Boeckman Creek Trail as “a critical piece of the potential regional trail loop around Wilsonville, linking to Memorial Park to the South, the Tonquin Trail to the West, and the Stafford Spur Trail to the East.” The project will yield a new 1.4-mile segment of paved trail that runs primarily along the east side of Boeckman Creek, through a scenic wooded area. (Eventually, the trail would extend another mile further north to Canyon Creek Park, and connect to planned regional trails within Clackamas County.)
To maximize cost efficiency, the City is bundling the trail’s construction with a project to upgrade the outdated, undersized sewer collector to support future residential growth in Frog Pond neighborhoods. The trail provides an access road for crews performing sewer maintenance.
“Designing both projects together within the same area has several benefits,” City Engineer Zach Weigel said. “Not only are we able to keep down costs, we can limit the ecological impacts and the construction impacts on nearby homeowners.”
Since the trail and the sewer line are to be designed within a sensitive and established habitat near a creek bed, the ecological constraints require some ingenuity.
“It’s a complex project,” said Kerry Rappold, the City’s Natural Resources Manager. “Designing manmade infrastructure in the natural environment requires careful consideration to strike a good balance for the benefit of both systems.”
While designing trails in close proximity to homes is not uncommon in the Portland-metro area — the Rock Creek Trail (Beaverton/Hillsboro) and Cedar Creek Trail (Sherwood) are two examples of area trails that meander behind neighboring homes — the alignment is unique to Wilsonville.
Residents who own homes abutting the proposed trail location have addressed the project leaders and the City Council with questions about neighborhood safety, tree and habitat preservation, and the impact of the project on area wildlife.
“We’re listening closely to homeowners, logging their questions and concerns, and working toward solutions throughout the design work,” said Andrew Barrett, the City’s Capital Projects Engineering Manager. “There will be many more opportunities for the community to provide input when surveying is complete and we’ve had an opportunity to begin analyzing data.”
The City hosted an open house for neighbors in May and invited residents to complete a short survey at “Let’s Talk, Wilsonville!” to gather additional input to ensure the trail design effectively meets the community’s needs. Opportunities to review designs and engage with the project team will continue throughout the design process.
“We’ll provide new information through each phase of the design,” Barrett said. “The input we receive helps ensure that our process ultimately delivers a safe, wellutilized community amenity that provides enjoyment and improves walkability.”
More details on the project, including timelines, an FAQ, and more, are available on the City’s website, where residents can sign up to receive project updates by text and/or email.
For additional information about the Boeckman Sewer Interceptor and Trail Project, contact Andrew Barrett, Capital Projects Engineering Manager, 503- 570-1567, abarrett@ci.wilsonville.or.us.
