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Section 5 <br />PROPOSED TRAIL <br />SYSTE_M & UPGRADES <br />5.1 Overview <br />Eugene's existing soft-surface recreational trail system currently covers a total length of 40.5 miles. This <br />includes 24.2 miles of designated pedestrian trail, 7.2 miles of shared -use trail (bicycles and <br />pedestrians), and 9.1 miles of designated running trail. <br />This Plan proposes expansion of the trail system to <br />ultimately include approximately 69.4 miles of <br />additional soft-surface trail, with an emphasis on <br />accommodating a variety of user groups through <br />shared -use trails or trail corridors . The Plan proposes <br />that the 4. 7 miles of.the Ridgeline Trail that is <br />currently classified as "pedestrian -only" be evaluated <br />for potential accommodation of shared-use <br />connections within those corridors. This would <br />achieve the long-term goal of accommodating both <br />pedestrians and bicycles along the entire 20-mile <br />ridgeline corridor either through parallel trails or <br />upgraded shared -use trails . The Plan also makes <br />recommendations on water trails, additional <br />mountain bike facilities such as single -track trail and <br />a skills park, and potential equestrian trails. <br />Upon complet ion of all projects within this plan, <br />Eugene's soft-surface recreational trail system would <br />include nearly 112 miles of trails. While this may <br />sound like a lot, it is a reasonable amount when <br />considering the increase in population expected over <br />the next 20 years, the growing demand for <br />recreational trails, the benefits tra i ls provide to the <br />community in the form of health and wellness and <br />tourism dollars, and the need to provide equitable <br />access to trails throughout the city. <br />The newly constructed Dillard Connector Trail <br />completes a key missing segment on the <br />Ridgeline system and is a shared-use trail. <br />Because the City's ability to build and maintain the full suite of projects is unlikely over the next decade <br />due to funding limitations, the proposed trail projects have been pri oritized based on a set of criteria <br />including ownership, cost, geographic distribution, and public support. Project prioritization criteria and <br />recommendations are listed in Section 5.3 . <br />Page 26 Eugene Trails Plan -2018