Could a zipline be coming to downtown Spokane?

SPOKANE, Wash. — Have you ever felt the desire to fly over the river bank in downtown Spokane, held only by a cable and some harnesses? Your dreams could come true, if the Spokane Park Board moves ahead with plans for an urban zipline.

An overhead image showing the zipline path.

Courtesy of Bernardo Wills Architects

A project was laid out in the agenda of the city’s Riverfront Park Committee Wednesday.

The plan calls for parallel lines to extend from the Spokane Falls CSO tank near the library to Redband Park in Peaceful Valley. That’s a quarter of a mile ride.

According to the presentation, an engineering feasibility study was done by Garco Construction.

This render shows the urban zipline platform hanging over the Spokane River downtown.

Courtesy of Bernardo Wills Architects

The presentation says the zipline would “increase Spokane’s urban advantage.” Also, it would provide another anchor for tourism and promotion for conferences.

The city would look to pay for the project through public-private partnerships. The presentation estimates gross revenue between $40k and $65k a year.

It’s not clear from the agenda where the project sits now; it was listed on the agenda as an “informational item”, not something that would be voted on.

According to the presentation, a request for proposals would start early next year and be done by April of 2021. The council and park board would need to approve the plan as well. As of now, construction would not begin until August of 2022.