With the installation of 550 feet of new sidewalk on South 1st Place in front of the Hermiston Skatepark this summer, the city of Hermiston will complete more than one mile of total sidewalk infill across the city since 2018.
Infill links disconnected sections of sidewalk within the city, creating continuous access for pedestrians. The city took a complete inventory of missing sidewalks across Hermiston before beginning its infill program in 2018 to determine the highest-use areas that needed immediate improvement for access and safety.
“It’s surprisingly expensive to go back and put sidewalks into areas which have already built up, but just making collector and arterial streets a priority allowed us to put some focus on them and identify the most cost-effective investments that are used every day,” said Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan. “Through that focus, we were also able to leverage significant state grant funding for long stretches of sidewalk and make the most of local dollars.”
Projects with outside funding included West Highland Avenue, Southwest 11th Street, and North 1st Place, allowing the city to use local resources for smaller sidewalk gaps on Orchard Avenue near the Post Office, Northeast 4th Street near Sunset Elementary, and on South 1st Place in front of the new Hermiston Skatepark. The city will also complete 130 feet of sidewalk at SE 10th and Highland Avenue near Highland Hills Elementary this summer.
A list of sidewalk improvements as part of the infill program can be found on the city’s website.
“Since the city’s development code requires sidewalk installation as part of new development since the 1970s, the hope is that this effort has taken a large bite out of the worst of the problem, and moving forward, these types of sidewalk gaps should grow less and less,” Morgan said.
