Municipality of Anchorage Begins Construction of New Ship Creek Connector Trail!

You may have heard the exciting news that Anchorage is finally building a connector trail to connect the Ship Creek Trail to the Coastal Trail, with construction beginning this summer! What you may not know is the fifteen years of public advocacy by the Mountain View community that went into the development of this trail. Back in 2012, residents of Mountain View gathered together to envision the future of their neighborhood. As part of that neighborhood planning process, in partnership with ACLT and the Mountain View Community Council, residents identified investing in the Ship Creek Trail as a high priority. The trail has always represented more than just a bike trail. It represents a reconnection of the Mountain View neighborhood to the rest of the city, just as the Bragaw overpass did before it. Connecting Mountain View to its surrounding neighborhoods means increased social, health, and economic benefits for residents, as well as more visitors to Mountain View’s commercial corridor.

With the support of the Anchorage Park Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation, ACLT became the lead sponsor of the Ship Creek Trail signage project to install wayfinding signage and clear entryways to build a safer, more visible trail that residents could use with ease. Volunteer groups from Credit Union 1 and United Way helped us clean up the trail for installation, and before we knew it, the Ship Creek Trail signage was ready to launch. Once the trail was well-signed, we worked with the Municipality of Anchorage Planning Department to invest in connecting the end of the Ship Creek Trail in Mountain View to the bike trail along the Glenn Highway via a “bike boulevard” connector path, so residents could bike further north safely through the neighborhood. Next up, we partnered with Visit Anchorage and downtown bike shops to create and distribute Ship Creek Trail guides to tourists and residents so they knew how to access the trail and all the great places to visit along the way. As traffic continued to tick up on the trail, ACLT worked with the Anchorage Assembly and the Anchorage Park Foundation to support the build-out of the Ship Creek Trail entrance downtown, including wayfinding and Indigenous placemaking signage.

Now, after many years of speaking up about their beloved Ship Creek Trail, Mountain View residents will finally see their long-term vision come to life as the city invests in the final missing piece that connects the Ship Creek Trail to the Coastal Trail. We’re so grateful to the city and to Anchorage voters for making this possible, and to the amazing organizations, volunteers, and elected officials who invested in the Ship Creek Trail journey over the last 10 years. Thank you, Anchorage- we can’t wait to see you on the trail!