Construction Report: An ADA-accessible path at Growden Park

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - The Growden Park area in Fairbanks is getting a new pathway to make it more accessible to persons with disabilities.

Growden Park is home to baseball fields, a playground, volleyball and basketball courts, and a skate park.

Caitlin Frye, Northern Region Information Officer with the Department of Transportation, said before the construction began, “If you were in a wheelchair and you wanted to go through the park, your option was basically to go on grass, which is not an accessible facility.”

But according to Frye, the park’s accessibility is set to change. “If you are in a wheelchair, or you’re pushing a stroller, or riding a bike, walking, running... this will be a path that you can use to get through this park and access not only what’s in the park, but also the other facilities around it.”

Construction began in August. When complete, Frye said the pathway will connect to others nearby. “What they’re doing is creating an asphalt path that really connects some of our other facilities in the area like the Chena River Walk and some other areas in town like towards the library. It’s creating a connection that’s accessible to everyone in our community between several different pedestrian facilities.”

According to Frye, when finished, the path will also feature flashing pedestrian beacons and informational signs “that will explain who these parks were named after, and some of the history behind the area.”

The project is expected to be nearly complete by the end of this year’s construction season, and finished up at the beginning of next summer with the striping of new crosswalks.

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