Ballard meeting tackles trail, SDOT seeks community input over Missing Link

By SAM KENYON, UW News Lab

Ballard took one small step closer to resolving the vexing and seemingly endless issue of completing the Burke Gilman Trail.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) hosted an open house meeting Thursday, Aug. 8, to discuss the environmental impact of completing the so-called “Missing Link” of the Burke Gilman Trail. The Missing Link refers to the unconnected section of the 27-mile recreational trail that begins at 11th Avenue Northwest and runs to the Ballard Locks. About 100 residents were present at Ballard High School along with representatives from SDOT, neighborhood organizations and city consultants.

Completion of the missing portion of the trail has been a controversial issue for more than a decade. Supporters of finishing the Missing Link say it is unsafe for trail users to be deposited onto surface streets to contend with motorists as they cross to the remaining section of the trail.

“I have walked many, many times on this trail and when I end I’m in no man’s land,” said Jacob Struiksma, a blind citizen who attended the meeting to support completing the Missing Links. “When you come off the trail … you’re in nothing. It’s not safe at all for anybody … It’s unacceptable.”

The purpose of the meeting was to receive input from the public regarding the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This statement, which typically takes 12 to 18 months to complete, will be a comprehensive study of the full range of environmental effects of completing the trail.

SDOT also wanted input from the public regarding potential alternative routes for the alignment of the Missing Link. At the meeting, several large maps of the area were laid across many tables. Attendees were encouraged to submit feedback in writing, or write directly on the maps. A court reporter was also present to take down verbal input from citizens.

“We want to see a preferred alternative that’s acceptable to the community and won’t be appealed,” said Ron Scharf, Project Manager for SDOT.

Part of the reason the Missing Link has remained missing for more than a decade is that businesses in the area have used legal appeals to slow down the completion process by forcing additional environmental studies.  The EIS is the city’s response to those appeals.

Public frustration with the slowness of the project and the lack of public involvement in the process was expressed during the open discussion portion of the meeting. A general frustration by many in attendance was directed at the various businesses that oppose completion of the trail. Nobody at the meeting spoke in opposition to completing the Missing Link.

Duane Duval, a citizen who attended the meeting, rides his bike every day and frequently faces dangerous conditions riding through the unconnected area.

“I would caution the businesses that are against finishing the Missing Link,” he said. “They’re going to end up with bicyclists going past in a dangerous manner instead of in a safe manner. And there might be some retribution from local bicyclists because there’s a lot of bicyclists in Ballard.”

(SAM KENYON is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)