This week, we reported on a new kind of street coming to Spokane: a greenway.

What is a greenway, you ask?

Generally, a greenway is a road a block or so off a main arterial where cars go slow enough to make walkers and cyclists feel safe and comfortable enough to travel there.

Cars are still allowed. They just have to go slow, as they do in all neighborhoods. As our article states, it’s unclear what the Cincinnati Greenway will look like when completed. It will likely have small traffic circles at its intersections, as well as other traffic-calming measures, such as bumped-out curbs at intersections and “sharrows,” street striping alerting drivers of the likely presence of bicylcists. There will be “crossing aids” where Cincinnati intersects arterials such as Indiana, Mission and Sharp avenues.

Most exciting for cyclists - though walkers can take the whole route as well - when finished, the Cincinnati Greenway will connect two bike routes currently in the works, and complete a 9-mile bikeway between the East Central and Nevada-Lidgerwood neighborhoods. This year, the city repaved the Addison-Standard bike corridor, and will add painted bike lanes on the corridor in the spring. Paving the Ben Burr Trail near Liberty and Underhill parks, which was delayed this year, will be done in 2016.

When these projects are complete, cyclists can ride on dedicated bikeways from near Home Depot on North Newport Highway to the Fred Meyer on South Thor Street.

The new greenway will also connect to the Centennial Trail and Downtown Bike Network.

Super!

The Cincinnati Greenway is a pilot project, which means if it's successful the city will get more the quiet streets. I previously wrote about the other potential greenways in town.

Funding for the greenway recently came through, when the Spokane City Council approved $500,000 for the design and construction of the greenway, which will be Cincinnati Street between Spokane Falls Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. Support for the greenway on the council was high, with only Councilman Mike Fagan voting against it.

The council’s vote adds to a federal clean air grant awarded to the project for nearly $470,000. Delivery of the federal funding is scheduled in 2018, but Snyder said he hoped the city could get the first phase of construction done in 2017, and finish it in 2018. In total, the Cincinnati Greenway project has $969,860 in funding.

“We were looking for a street that was a residential street that would be a great place to emphasize a better pedestrian and biking environment, and that was parallel to a main arterial so that folks would have an option,” said Councilman Jon Snyder, who helped make Spokane's first greenway a reality along with Councilman Mike Allen. “At the same time, Gonzaga University is looking for ways to improve pedestrian safety around their campus, and this goes right into their campus.”

Anyone excited for the Cincinnati Greenway? Anyone not?