BOISE, Idaho — Near the heart of the City of Trees, Ann Morrison Park is one of the most popular parks in Boise, drawing in people to recreate from all over the city.
Overlooking the park, Peasley Street on Crescent Rim provides a great view of the green – but getting there can be tougher than it looks for the almost 3,600 residents that live within a 10-minute walk of the park.
But it will soon be easier for pedestrians and cyclists to get to Ann Morrison Park. Boise Parks and Recreation is building a staircase that will go from Peasley Street and down into the southwest side of the park, near the softball fields.
"It really is all about access," Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said. "It's creating opportunities for people to have better access to Ann Morrison Park."
The new project also aims to cut down congestion on nearby busy roads.
"Currently if you want to access the park from the Bench area, you will come down either Capitol or Americana, which are both fairly busy roads to get to the park," Holloway said. "So, this just creates an opportunity that you can bypass both of those locations and really come directly down into the park."
There is currently a rouge trail that leads down into the park. However, Holloway said the trail isn't accessible and can be difficult to navigate because the hill is steep.
The new, 94-step staircase will also have a runnel – a grooved spot in the railing that allows cyclists to walk their bike up or down – in and out one of the most popular parks in the city.
"Keeping folks off of Americana and off of Capitol, whether they're pedestrians or whether they're bicyclists, it's just a much safer connection," Holloway said.
Construction crews are expected to start to lay out the survey on site starting next week. Crews will start work at the top of the staircase.
Construction on the Peasley Street Connection Improvement Project could take up to a year to complete.
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