Seattle to finish construction on 'missing link' of Burke-Gilman Trail in 2023

There's some good news for Puget Sound bicyclists: the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced Monday it will resume construction on the "missing link" of the Burke-Gilman Trail in the Ballard neighborhood in late 2022 or early 2023.

The missing link, as it's known, is a 1.4-mile segment stretching through Ballard where the 27-mile multi-use recreational trail, which runs from Bothell to Golden Gardens, is currently not complete. Currently, bicyclists must share the portion of the trail with normal street traffic, creating safety issues.

"We have built more than 38 miles of bike facilities in the past four years, making many critical connections, but in many ways completing this glaring mile and a half gap in the Burke-Gilman Trail feels like the most symbolically important connection we have yet to build," said SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe in a news release Monday. "This project creates a path for people of all ages and abilities in Ballard and connects to a larger network throughout Puget Sound."

The city has been at the drawing board for finishing the missing link since the 1990s but has faced several legal and logistical challenges. Nearby maritime and industrial businesses have opposed using Shilshole Avenue Northwest to complete the trail, instead favoring Leary Avenue Northwest to avoid interfering with trucks moving in and out of driveways. In 2012, a city hearing examiner put the brakes on the plan after siding with Ballard industries, saying the city was required to study other options.

The plan seemed to be moving forward in 2018 after it was folded into the Ballard Multimodal corridor project but was again delayed last June after a King County Superior Court judge ruled that the city did not have the authority to move railroad train tracks to make the space needed for the missing link.

SDOT's new refined plan includes "pragmatic adjustments that maintain design standards" to resume and expedite the construction, which could take just seven months to complete. Under the simplified design plan, the railroad tracks on Shilshole Avenue N.W. and N.W. 45th Street will not need to be relocated, avoiding that legal hurdle and mitigating the impacts on nearby businesses. Other changes include reducing the width of the trail to 10 feet instead of the original 12-foot design.

With the nine-year Levy to Move Seattle set to sunset in 2024, leaders are hopeful the project can finally be completed, finally making the stretch of trail safer for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

"By redesigning the Missing Link we will finally be able to give the bike, walking and rolling community a safe route to enjoy the treasure that is the Burke-Gilman trail," said Mayor Jenny Durkan on Monday. "After continued legal challenges, these next steps will bring us tangibly closer to finishing this crucial project."

The city has recently completed other safety projects as part of the levy, including adding four miles of new or enhanced bike lanes near Green Lake this summer. The city also plans to add a new two-way walking and biking path on W Green Lake Way N, which reopened to thru traffic in October after being closed for over a year.