We prepared the project assessment and final plans, specifications, and estimates for improvements to a 2.5-mile segment of the Rio Salado Pathway system along the Salt River in Phoenix, Arizona.

The multiuse pathway improvements included the design of a 12-foot-wide paved pathway along the top of the south bank of the Salt River with a portion of the pathway required to ramp into the Salt River floodway and pass below the existing bridge structures. This pathway segment and the adjoining segment in the neighboring City of Tempe closed a large gap in the overall pathway network and provide a unique experience that allows users to wend their way along the adjacent diverse Salt River ecosystem.

To maintain the design aesthetics and enhance user experience, the new pathway shared a portion of the Salt River’s existing floodway. To ensure the proposed improvements did not raise the high-water surface elevation of the Salt River, extensive analysis of the impacts to the river hydraulics were performed.

Extensive coordination with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC; construction permit), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (404 permit), Sky Harbor International Airport, and the cities of Phoenix and Tempe were an essential element to the success of this project. The project also included a trailhead facility at 40th Street with shade ramadas, benches, and landscaping.