Yesterday, City Council accepted a $650,000 Nature in the Neighborhoods grant from Metro to help fund the Boones Ferry Fish, Wildlife and Trail Passage project.

This Environmental Services project will replace the culvert on Tryon Creek under SW Boones Ferry Road (map).  The existing culvert is too small and restricts both fish passage and stream flow.  The culvert is right between two valuable natural areas, Marshall Park and Tryon Creek State Park.  The original project design considered replacing the undersized culvert with a larger, open bottom culvert. 

This grant now helps the city replace the culvert with a bridge instead.  The bridge design improves fish and wildlife passage, and includes a pedestrian trail along the creek that will complete a missing portion of the Hillsdale to Lake Oswego Regional Trail. 

An Advisory Committee of partner organizations and community groups is providing valuable input on this project.  Environmental Services will begin final design of the project this fall and start construction in 2017. 

Replacing aging, undersized culverts is one of the actions that will improve grades in Portland’s Watershed Report Cards.  The Boones Ferry project will help improve stream connectivity, habitat, and fish and wildlife scores in the Tryon Creek Watershed, as well as protecting water quality and existing sewer infrastructure. 

Environmental Services is gradually replacing priority culverts around the city to improve water quality, stream flow and habitat connections, especially for endangered salmon.  Recent projects include several culverts on Crystal Springs Creek, Stephens Creek, and at NE 33^rd Drive in the Columbia Slough.   

For more information visit our full press release or project page.