Project entails transportation safety amenities for pedestrians, bicyclists and people on wheelchairs; including shade and aesthetic improvements.
It’s been half a year since crews started construction in earnest on the Grand Canalscape Project, a ten-mile multi-use trail system initiative, and major signs of progress are already taking shape as construction continues.
“As the Grand Canalscape takes shape, it increases the connectivity and livability of our city,” said Mayor Greg Stanton. “This improvement takes one of our city’s most special assets—our canal system—and transforms it into an active public space that all residents and visitors can enjoy.”
The most noticeable improvement now in place is the ten-foot wide concrete pathway between 15th Avenue and 12th Street in phase one. The paved pathway will serve as one of the primary improvements associated with this project, creating a safe and reliable commuting and recreational transportation option for pedestrians, bicyclists and people on wheelchairs to move about the canal corridor in a safe manner.
Some of the new lighting for the canal pathway is now also in place. These lights feature energy efficient LED fixtures. As part of this project, canal pathway lighting was introduced as a key feature to enhance area visibility and safety.
Improvements being made to neighborhood access points that lead to the Grand Canalscape project corridor are also taking shape. Access points located west of Seventh Avenue near Campbell Avenue and at Third Avenue and Hazelwood Street now feature wheelchair accessible ramps, a concrete pathway and pathway lighting. Similar improvements are underway at various access points throughout the project corridor.
Multi-use pathway improvements were also constructed at 22nd Street and Thomas Street to facilitate canal access.
“Residents have voiced strong support for canal bank improvements along the Grand Canal and we are beginning to see elements of the envisioned Grand Canalscape,” said Vice Mayor Thelda Williams, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. “This is only the beginning and we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
Pathway amenities yet to be installed include landscaping, artist designed benches, pavers, trail-markers, a multi-use pathway connection at 16th Street and Indian School Road, shade canopies at Ninth Avenue and 37th Street, and new pedestrian-activated traffic signals where major arterial streets intersect with the Grand Canal.
Construction of phase one, which includes the uptown Phoenix area between 15th Avenue and 16th Street and the Gateway area near Sky Harbor Airport between 36th and 40th streets, is on schedule to be completed by the end of the summer. Construction recently started in phase two and is programmed to take approximately 12 months to complete. Phase two will complete the trail along the Grand Canal from Interstate 17 east to the City of Tempe border.
For more information about the Grand Canalscape Project, call the project hotline at 623-825-3444, email grandcanalscape@gciaz.com, or visit the project website at
GrandCanalscape.com.
