One of our landscape architects got to visit the University of Idaho last week and see our 7th Street Improvement project. It is still awaiting final completion but looked great with the plum trees in bloom. The goal of this project was to create a pedestrian mall here on 7th Street, which is the beginning of campus tours, and match the branding and character of the rest of the campus. Go, Vandals!
The countdown to the Ice Age Floods Playground has begun. Crews are working hard for the upcoming opening in only a few weeks. Here is a video sneak peek, we can’t wait for our families and fellow Spokanites to enjoy this site. What element looks the most fun to you? Share with your climbers, skaters, basketballers, and kids of all ages!
Here’s a fly-through animation for your Friday! Check out the potential future Gorge Loop Trail, connecting the Place of Truths Plaza with Peaceful Valley along the Spokane River Gorge. We hope this project becomes a reality, but for now we’ll enjoy it virtually.
#WorksiteWednesday Here is an update from the North Bank Playground in Riverfront Park. If the nice weather holds, landscape installation should begin this week. We can’t wait to see the finished product this spring!
Completed in summer of 2019, Bernardo Wills landscape architects provided full design services the City of Coeur d’Alene and North Idaho College to enhance the Centennial Trail in Coeur d’Alene between River and Hubbard Avenues. The improvements included enhancements of the existing commuter trail and its crossing of River Avenue, grading to accommodate new trail alignments, seeding and planting plans, including new street trees, and an irrigation plan. We look forward to getting out and using this improved trail system this Spring and Summer!
As one component of the Four Corners/Bureau of Land Management Corridor Master Plan, the City of Coeur d’Alene decided to redevelop Mullan Road, a high-profile thoroughfare near the downtown core. Completed in 2016, the Mullan Road improvement project sought to increase the safety of the road while making it better serve the community and all forms of traffic.
Located between Independence Point beachfront, Fort Sherman Playground, and Memorial Softball Field, Mullan Road traverses through heavy pedestrian-traffic areas with significant mid-block pedestrian-crossing activity. New improved design accentuated pedestrian crossing locations, traffic-calming features, and the ability to close off the road during seasonally high pedestrian activity.
See more Mullan Road Improvement pictures by clicking the button!
Mullan Road Improvements Gallery
What a difference a year can make. Last February, LaRiviere crews had just begun clearing the North Bank Playground site. The project, including the playground, skate park, splash pad, basketball court, and park maintenance building, is nearly complete and will be a quiet site until landscaping and finishing touches go in this spring.
Another huge highlight of 2020 was the construction of the North Bank Playground in Riverfront Park. This update video from August shows LaRiviere and ID Sculpture crews working to bring the plans to life, including the hand-carved splash pad walls and climbing elements. Crews have wrapped up exterior site work for the year and will continue on the maintenance and operations building through the winter. The playground is scheduled for completion in early spring 2021.
Another highlight of 2020 was the completion of CSO tank 26 and “A Place of Truths Plaza” in downtown Spokane. This was well-utilized by Spokanites this summer, as a place to reflect, gather safely outdoors, and view the Spokane River below. Bernardo Wills Architects landscape architects had been working on this project since 2015, and the complex construction process came to a successful conclusion in late 2019. The City of Spokane opened the plaza this spring for Spokanites’ enjoyment. We look forward to future gatherings there and hope to see food trucks, live music, and community groups gather when it is safe to do so.
The CSO 26 Plaza design was one of the most interesting and challenging projects we have worked on.