Bear Creek Greenway 3.04

The Bear Creek Greenway is a 17.9mi biking and hiking path extending from Ashland to Central Point in the U.S. state of Oregon. Passing through Talent, Phoenix, and Medford, it roughly parallels Bear Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River. The Greenway is divided into two lanes for bi-directional traffic and is inaccessible to motor vehicles (except for county maintenance).HistoryA bicycle-only path in the Medford area may have been discussed as early as 1899, when bicycles were increasing in popularity. Jackson County collected $500 from a tax on bicycles that year for construction of a path, but the project was not carried out. In 1973, former representative Al Densmore presented a bill to the Oregon Legislative Assembly, which authorized the Oregon Department of Transportation to build 3.4mi of the greenway that year.Later funding for the Bear Creek Greenway came in increments, causing construction to take place sporadically over four decades. One source stated that even before Interstate 5 was built through the area a "Greenway Movement" was forming among supporters who desired "a chain of parks from Ashland to Rogue River connected by a trail". When Densmore presented his bill, Jackson County began a land acquisition program that led to completion of segments in 1973, 1980, 1995, and 1998.