As we near the autumn season, it’s a great opportunity to explore the Spokane area’s trail system. Learn more about the Appleway Trail in this video. The 5.10-mile paved pathway is designed for walkers, runners, and cyclists. Improvements to the Appleway Trail have been in progress since 2015, and Bernardo Wills Architects provided landscape architecture services to the City of Spokane Valley for this project.
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.
Check out the latest construction updates from the Ice Age Floods Playground at Riverfront Park. Crews are working toward the finish line, with the opening right around the corner. This footage shows the play equipment, splash pad test, and the completed basketball court and wheels park. We can’t wait for Spokane’s residents to enjoy this playground. Bernardo Wills Architects provided playground design, landscape architecture and architecture services for this project.
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
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.
Crews at the North Bank Playground at Riverfront Park are still going strong. The operations and maintenance building is dried in and ready for more snow. The exterior masonry and interior utilities have been completed, and the drywall installation is underway. The very-fun play tower is nearing completion, with the surrounding finished grade nearly finalized, tower slides placed, and the skin/panels are going up. Bravo to the crews busy on-site, no matter what weather gets thrown their way. We can’t wait to play in the spring.
Check out the latest drone shots of the North Bank of Riverfront Park. You can see the playground progress before the final push next spring. The play equipment is installed, and the basketball court is ready for winter. These photos from Selkirk Development provide context and you can see the proximity of the playground to the new Sportsplex, the former Ram Building, and the connectivity to the rest of Riverfront Park and downtown Spokane.
Winter is barely here, but we are already looking forward to spring!
