What We Heard
Flooding of Fanno Creek Trail near Scholls Ferry Road has occurred for some time. In the past, we heard that it was inconvenient, but that the impacts were manageable as the flooding typically occurred in the middle of the rainy season and was somewhat predictable.
The Simple Solution Doesn't Work Long Term
People frequently asked why the trail could not simply be raised underneath the roadway bridge so that it would flood less often. While raising the trail is being considered as a short-term solution, it is not an ideal long-term solution. This is because it does not meet trail standards for overhead clearance and could create additional safety issues. In addition, the downstream beaver activity shows no signs of slowing down, so there is no guarantee that even a raised trail would never flood in the future.
The Impacts of Flooding are No Longer Manageable
Some folks have told us they think it is neat to observe the beaver activity in the area, but we mostly heard that people are getting frustrated and concerned about how often the trail floods and can stay flooded over time. When the trail is flooded, trail users are forced to go through the water, backtrack to a different route, or find their way up to the street level of Scholls Ferry Road.
A Safe and Convenient Crossing of Scholls Ferry Road is Needed
Trail users who choose to travel up to Scholls Ferry Road have to travel out of their way to the next closest intersections that have traffic signals and crosswalks (SW Conestoga Drive to the southwest, or SW Nimbus Avenue to the northeast). Some trail users are choosing to dart across Scholls Ferry Road mid-block at unmarked and unsignalized crossing locations.
It was made clear that the community no longer feels the current flooding impacts are manageable, and that a permanent solution is needed to lessen the impacts of the flooding while also allowing the safe crossing of Scholls Ferry Road.
