Local nonprofit working to connect Pocatello and Chubbuck through interconnected trails

POCATELLO — A nonprofit statement successful nan Portneuf Valley is moving to link 2 cities done stepping and biking trails.

This is nan eventual extremity of nan Portneuf Greenway Foundation, to create a triangle of interconnected paths astir Pocatello and Chubbuck. Although nan completion of interconnected pathways is still a agelong measurement away, Dan Harrelson, President of nan Portneuf Greenway Foundation, said that nan statement is providing bully recreation adjacent people’s homes while trying to execute this goal.

“The main use of a batch of this — it’s not truthful overmuch transportation, it’s having a spot wherever group tin spell to locomotion that’s adjacent to their home,” Harrelson said.

While nan instauration intends to do this, it doesn’t cognize erstwhile it will beryllium completed aliases if it will be.

“I dream to person it done earlier I die,” Harrelson said.

The instauration has constructed 18 miles of trails successful its 3 decades of existence, but “there’s going to beryllium small gaps successful it for a long, agelong time,” Harrelson said.

When nan instauration started successful 1992, it was only focused connected providing pathways and trails on nan Portneuf River.

“As clip went on, location were conscionable much opportunities to build distant from nan river. We benignant of ran into a dormant extremity on nan river, and truthful we recovered different places wherever trails were needed and trails were wanted,” Harrelson said.

Harrelson said that Rory Erchul, president of nan instauration for six years successful nan precocious 2010s, was nan originator of nan idea, but Erchul said that it started moreover earlier his time.

“I deliberation it was a culmination of galore people’s ideas complete nan years,” Erchul said.

Harrelson said that if they complete nan triangle someday, it could go moreover faster to spell connected a bicycle past it would beryllium to thrust down Yellowstone.

The triangle’s southernmost constituent would beryllium adjacent Ross Park, and it would usage a operation of already existing trails, trails presently nether building and ones that person yet to beryllium built. One broadside would spell up into Historic Downtown Pocatello connected trails adjacent nan Portneuf River, and nan different broadside would spell up trails that tally parallel to Interstate 15. The 2 sides would past beryllium connected by trails successful Chubbuck astir nan Northgate area.

Under building is nan Connecting Communities pathway. Work connected it started astatine nan opening of May, and it will link nan Bannock County Event Center pinch Pocatello Creek Road erstwhile completed sometime either precocious this autumn aliases early outpouring 2025.

The Connecting Communities way has been funded done a operation of donations, grants and costs from nan Idaho Transportation Department. The instauration still needs backing to link immoderate portions of nan pathway nether construction, truthful group and different organizations tin sojourn their website if they want to contribute.

Idaho Central Credit Union is simply a awesome philanthropist to nan way and nan instauration has received grants from Idaho Parks and Recreation Department, nan Portneuf Health Trust, nan Idaho Environmental Coalition and nan Idaho Community Foundation. The Idaho Transportation Department is besides backing a awesome information of nan project.

If nan Connecting Communities Pathway connecting Pocatello and Chubbuck is completed someday, Erchul doesn’t deliberation it’ll ever switch driving, but he besides doesn’t deliberation that it needs to.

“There’s a adjacent magnitude of group that for illustration to thrust a motorcycle aliases would for illustration to walk, whether it’s conscionable for leisure aliases to get from 1 spot to another,” Erchul said.

Although Harrelson doesn’t want group to deliberation that an interconnected triangle of pathways will beryllium vanished successful nan adjacent future, he said nan instauration is making much advancement connected trails past they person successful nan past. He hopes to spot this advancement continue, creating convenient recreation for nan organization to bask while besides moving towards convenient transportation.

“There’s astir apt much advancement being made connected bicycle and pedestrian (pathways) successful nan adjacent 5 years than location has been successful nan past 20 years,” Harrelson said.