Big grant for greenway

The city of Chico recently was awarded a $1.53 million grant for the second and final phase of the Comanche Creek Greenway Improvement Project—a bike path connecting Estes Road to the Chico-Durham bike path along the Midway.

The grant was awarded through the California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening Grant Program, which handed out $76 million in cap-and-trade revenues for green infrastructure projects, according to a CNRA press release. Comanche Creek Greenway was one of 39 projects selected from 143 applications statewide.

Phase I of the project was completed last summer. It included paved and unpaved biking and hiking trails, picnic areas, lighting, benches and a parking lot. Phase II will significantly improve bicycle access to southwest Chico and connect to the greater network of bike paths.