As Loop Trail is upgraded, Clark Pipeline Bridge to close for 17 months for construction

WENATCHEE — The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail is getting an upgrade. As it currently stands, the Clark Pipeline Bridge is an essential portion of the Loop Trail and serves to connect East Wenatchee’s Sunset Highway portion of the trail with the Wenatchee side at the end of Hale Park to complete the south portion of the Loop.

Calling it the South End Bike and Pedestrian Access Bridges project, the City is replacing the existing access point on the Hale Park side with an ADA-compliant access ramp that joins with another ramp beginning on the west side of the railroad tracks. On the East Wenatchee side, the access bridge will connect the east end of the Clark Pipeline Bridge directly to Valley Mall Parkway with a walking bridge over Sunset Highway at 9th Street.

According to a press release from the City, the Access Bridges project “will invest $17 million in State and Federal grant funds to provide additional access to this recreational amenity to key parts of our communities.”

Construction on the East Wenatchee side will begin in early April, with excavation for the piers that will support the new ramp structures and the walking overpass traversing Sunset Highway. Demolition of the existing Hale Park access ramp is planned for June, effectively closing the Loop Trail at these two access points for the following 17 months until construction is complete.

The Cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee “invite the community to Save the Date for a groundbreaking ceremony to be on April 23, 2025 at 1:30pm,” according to the release.

Despite the longevity of the closure, the payoff when the south end of the Loop Trail is completed will be walking access directly between the downtowns of both cities. In addition to the splash pad that’s been in the works and the expansion of Riverfront PArk near Fifth Street, the amenities to the historic Loop Trail seem worth the wait.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media