Canal pathway project moving forward

The city of Idaho Falls has reached agreement with the Idaho Irrigation District that may allow for development of pathways along several irrigation canals in the city.

The city entered into a Master Canal Pathway Agreement with the district last November. It identifies how the city and district will work together to plan, design, and safely maintain the new trail system.

Councilman John Radford stated, “This is a very exciting moment in the history of pathways in Idaho Falls. This has been quite the process, and many of people worked very hard to help us see the vision of how we could connect our community through the canal system.”

When funding is available, the first canal trail to be built will be located along the Idaho Canal. It will provide an alternative route to the busy arterial streets of Holmes Avenue and Woodruff Avenue where traffic counts average over 16,000 vehicles per day. Construction of Phase One of the trail could begin as early as this spring.

Mayor Rebecca Casper said such projects have proven successful across the nation. “The promise of this landmark agreement would translate into twenty-four miles of new city pathways. When it comes to adding local value, these are pure gold when you develop them.”