Half Mile of Greenway Closing Temporarily

In Yakima, The Greenway is a place for people to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise.

But now, the people who use the Greenway will have to find another route to take.

A half-mile stretch of The Greenway walking path near south of the Yakima Regional Waster Water Treatment Plant is now closed so the city can start habitat restoration along the Yakima River.

City officials say this is necessary to attract wildlife back in the area.

Workers are using natural resources to build a habitat, including recycled Christmas trees. Salmon will use the trees has protection from predators.

The city wants to keep the trail as beautiful and as accessible as before.

"This will be a really nice area on the Greenway and it will be just as nice as the existing trail route," said Utility Engineer, Ryan Anderson

The path will open up again around the middle of October.

The project will cost about $500,000, and is funded by federal, state and county funds.

The city says the main goal is to bring vegetation that is beneficial to both wildlife and the Greenway corridor.