BOISE, Idaho — Walkers and cyclists who live on the Boise Bench will soon have a new, safer way to get to one of the city's most popular parks.
Construction on a stairway between Crescent Rim Drive and Ann Morrison Park is nearing completion.
The Peasley Street Connection Improvement Project is a 94-step staircase going down the hill from Crescent Rim into the Southeast side of the park near the baseball fields - creating a connection into the heart of the city.
"This connection is very, very critical to those that live above Crescent Rim and on into the Bench area," Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway said. "It just creates that safe opportunity for them to get from that area back down to Ann Morrison Park, and vice versa."
One of the project's major goals is to make trips to the park safer - giving walkers and bikers an option other than going down busy streets like Capitol Boulevard and Americana Boulevard.
"It will create a safe connection for about 3,500 residents within a 10-minute walk of Ann Morrison Park," Holloway said.
The stairway has a runnel - a grooved spot in the railing that allows cyclists to walk their bike up or down.
The city is also renovating the crosswalk at Crescent Rim Drive and Peasley Street to make it better-marked and safer for residents to cross the street to get to the stairway.
In April 2023, Boise City Council approved $850,000 in funding for the project, using money from a 2015 levy fund for preserving open space.
The Peasley Street Connection also plays into the City of Boise's goal of making sure every Boisean is within a 10-minute walk to the park.
Holloway said the project is on time and on budget, and the stairway is expected to be finished in late October.