After years of pushing to complete the Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail along Shilshole Ave, the City is now considering a different alignment along NW Market St, Leary Ave NW, and NW 17th St.
For several decades now, the City and the industrial businesses along Shilshole in Ballard have been at odds over completing the 1.4-mile missing section of the Burke-Gilman Trail on Shilshole.
The City has long argued that Shilshole makes the most sense for completing the trail, whereas the businesses on Shilshole argued that the trail would interfere with the comings and goings of industrial vehicles and ultimately pose more of a risk than a reward.
Now, things appear to be shifting.
The move comes after Councilmember Dan Strauss announced in March that he wanted to see the City do more research on the alternative alignment. In a statement in March, Mayor Bruce Harrell agreed that SDOT should study the Market/Leary/17th proposal.
Strauss, who was once a proponent of the Shilshole alignment, said that Ballard has changed in the last decade. In a blog post about the issue, he brought up two major variables.
First, Strauss pointed out that Ballard has become far denser over the past several decades. Industrial businesses used to be located throughout the neighborhood, but today, as Strauss pointed out, they are almost exclusively on Shilshole Ave NW.
Second, Strauss said the recent construction of the Missing Link between the Ballard Locks and 24th Ave NW along NW Market St positively affected commercial businesses.
“Prior to building this improvement, the street was hard to access for everyone walking, biking, or driving which meant businesses experienced mixed success,” Strauss said. “Now with the trail, it is a bustling commercial corridor used by families, people learning to ride and long-distance riders, people running and walking, and more people than ever using this stretch of roadway.”
In his statement, Mayor Harrell said he still supports the Shilshole Ave NW option. However, “given the ongoing litigation surrounding Shilshole, he recognizes the value of exploring an alternate route,” according to the letter from his office. Harrell is asking SDOT to conduct a six-month outreach and engagement process that will lead to a 30% design of the Market/Leary/17th alternative.
The proposed Missing Link route would extend along NW Market Street for two blocks east from 24th Ave NW, and continue along Leary Ave NW until it reaches 17th Ave NW. Then it would rejoin the Shilshole Route as designed to connect to the Burke-Gilman Trail.
The public survey will be open until Sept. 8. You can also submit feedback about the proposal online.
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