‘Anchorage’s most significant trail connection in decades’: Ground breaking ceremony held project to connect Coastal and Ship Creek Trails

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Anchorage’s mayor and a few state lawmakers joined members of the public at the Ship Creek Small Boat Launch Saturday to officially break ground on a mile-long extension to connect the Coastal Trail and the Ship Creek Trail.

“Anchorage is a trails town,†Anchorage Park Foundation Executive Director Beth Nordlund said during the event, referencing the recent distinction awarded by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. “Trails really do connect us. This project is really important for our health, for our economy, for our growing tourism industry, and for the outdoor recreation industry, and our community.â€

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance was one of the few people who made remarks, touting the trail and the work that went into making it happen.

“It has been through just about every kind of government review known to humankind,†LaFrance said. “Community councils, the urban design commission, the parks commission, the [Anchorage] Assembly, the state legislature, DOT, the AMATS committee and the railroad board.â€

Several speakers, including Alaska State Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, spoke about the possibility of one day using this connection as part of Anchorage’s leg of the Alaska Long Trail, a conceptualized, massive trail between Seward and Fairbanks.

Tanya Hong, the project manager for the Municipality of Anchorage, said she anticipates the project to go out for bid on Friday, with construction beginning this summer and ending in the summer of 2027.

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