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Springwater Corridor

Planning and conservation  ›  Natural areas, parks and trails  ›  Protecting natural areas  ›  Acquiring natural areas  ›  Springwater Corridor

Learn about the goals and objectives for Springwater Corridor. View maps illustrating the Metro Council's priorities for this regional trail corridor and learn more about what parts of the trail are already complete.

The Metro Council's goal and objective for the Springwater Corridor target area are:

Goal

• Complete the 1-mile corridor between the existing Springwater on the Willamette Trail and the Three Bridges project at SE 19th Avenue in Portland. This will provide the final connection of the Springwater Corridor between downtown Portland east through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring.

Objective

Tier I Objective

• Acquire property necessary to complete the one-mile corridor gap between the existing Springwater on the Willamette Trail and the Three Bridges project on SE 19th Avenue in Portland.

About the area

The Springwater Corridor is the major southeast segment of the 40-Mile Loop, which was inspired by John Charles Olmsted's 1903 plan for a parkway and boulevard loop connecting park sites in the Portland area. The name stuck, even though the 40-Mile Loop route now comprises more than 140 miles linking wetlands, buttes, fields and pastures, neighborhoods and parks throughout Multnomah County.

The Springwater Corridor's "Three Bridges" project was completed in the fall of 2006 with the construction of bridges over McLoughlin Boulevard, the Southern and Union Pacific railroads and Johnson Creek. The main trail provides a major east-west link from Boring, following Johnson Creek to its end in Southeast Portland just short of a connection to the remainder of the trail along the Willamette River. When the last two remaining gaps (the Springwater segment and the Willamette Trail segment) are finished, it will be one of the country's great urban trails with more than 20 continuous miles, from the Steel Bridge in Portland east through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring, separated from motorized vehicles.

2006 Natural Areas Program bond description

Funding will complete the 1-mile corridor between the existing Springwater on the Willamette Trail and the Three Bridges project at Southeast 19th Avenue in Portland. This will provide the final connection of the Springwater Corridor between downtown Portland east through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring.

1995 Natural Areas Program goals and accomplishments

• Link OMSI and the Springwater Corridor by acquiring key parcels and easements along the Willamette River.
• Continue implementation of the Willamette River Greenway vision.

To date 57 acres have been acquired by Metro's program. The OMSI to Springwater section of the trail was completed in 2002 and named the "Springwater on the Willamette" section, a part of the Willamette River Greenway.

New focus for Metro's 2006 Natural Areas Program

• Complete the 1-mile trail section commonly known as the "Springwater Gap."

Field research findings

• The "Springwater Gap" is the last remaining gap in this segment of the regional trail linking Portland to the community of Boring. This final link falls within an active rail right-of-way and the primary goal of Metro's program is to acquire rights to construct the trail between Southeast Umatilla Street and 19th Avenue at Ochoco Street, closing about a 1-mile section of the Springwater Corridor.

Public input helps Metro Council set priorities

In September 2007 the Metro Council approved acquisition plans for each of the 27 regional target areas. The Metro Council established these priorities with the input of natural resource and land use experts, scientists, citizens and local land managers. More than 500 people attended eight community open houses to share their ideas with Metro Councilors. Nearly 1,000 people filled out questionnaires ranking their priorities and offering ideas for partnerships and other ways to stretch the public's investment. The acquisition plans include a map, goals and objectives for each target area.

Need assistance?

Natural Areas Program
503-797-1545
naturalareas@oregonmetro.gov

Related Documents

• Springwater Corridor map, goals, and objectives 44.9M Adobe Acrobat PDF | Published October 4, 2007