The waterfront and open access project of Rhododendron Park in Kenmore has been recognized as a local outstanding civil engineering achievement by the ASCE Seattle.

This is the first summer residents will have a chance to visit the park since the project’s completion in fall of 2018. Project planning began in 2013.

“I was just out there last weekend,” Madison Pearson with Osborn Consulting said in a press release. “It’s cool to see so many families out on the boardwalk.”

Civil engineering firm Osborn Consulting led the consultant team responsible for design, permitting and development of construction documents for the boardwalk and floating dock on the Sammamish River.

The project increased accessibility to the river and the Kenmore boat launch, while maintaining protections for sensitive wetlands nearby. A large wetland separates the park from its Sammamish River shoreline, which made accessing the water from the park a challenging task.

The access project constructed new ADA accessible paths and a 234-foot grated boardwalk over the wetland areas, connecting the park to the boat launch area. The project also improved walkability for visitors to the play area, restroom and basketball court. And a floating dock — designed for rowing shells and hand-powered canoes and other water crafts — improved accessibility for boats.

Partial funding came from the city of Kenmore’s Walkways & Waterways ballot measure of 2016. Residents of Kenmore prioritized the desire for safe routes for pedestrians and improving access to the water through this initiative.

Improvements planned for the future include construction of a boathouse. It’ll be used as both storage and an educational facility. The Northshore School District is supporting design and construction of the boathouse, ensuring it meets the needs of the district’s student rowing program.