Burke-Gilman Closure A Pain, But Will Make Trail Safer, Says County Parks Boss

The closure of a two-mile section of the Burke-Gilman Trail through Lake Forest Park beginning Wednesday will be a pain especially for bike commuters, the King County Parks director says, but will make the trail safer for the future.

The six-month closure of the popular bike and pedestrian trail, from Log Boom Park in Kenmore west to the Seattle/Lake Forest Park border, is part of a $2.69 million safety and redevelopment project.

"We know this construction project presents a significant, temporary inconvenience, but we believe that the safety improvements we're making to this section of the Burke-Gilman Trail will benefit trail users for many decades to come," said Kevin Brown, King County Parks director.

Recreational bicycle riders should seek out other trails for travel during the closure, Cascade Bicycle Club Executive Director Chuck Ayers said at a press conference at the trail today.

The impact on bike commuters will be tougher, but buses and a detour will be the options available to get around the construction. Three Metro and one Sound Transit bus routes provide service along the corridor every six minutes during commute times with triple bike racks, according to a county press release.

“The detour route is not optimum,” Ayers said. “In fact, the county pursued better alternatives but they were frustrated in their efforts. Regardless of how cyclists venture through the closure, we urge them to ride safely, legally, and courteously to other trail and roadway users. In the not-so-distant future, the Burke-Gilman Trail, the grandmother of our regional trail system, will be something all of us can be proud of.”

Brown agreed that the detour is not perfect but said it balances the considerations of many stakeholders in the area.

“The trail corridor runs along Lake Washington, with steep hills, a fragmented road and sidewalk system and busy State Route 522 on the upland side," he said.

The detour is circuitous, hilly and longer than 2.3 miles than the trail, but the county believes it provides a safer option for getting around the work zone and is alternative to riding on State Route 522, which is considered unsafe for bicycles because of heavy car and bus traffic.

Pedestrians are encouraged to use side streets and sidewalks during the construction, Brown said. Skateboarders and longboarders will have to do the same. 

Brown said the county worked with Lake Forest Park, Seattle, Shoreline, Kenmore and the Cascade Bicycle Club and other groups for nearly a year to identify a safe detour route during construction.

The King County Parks and Recreation Department has set up a 24-hour hotline (206-462-6348) to dispense information and answer questions about the project. A Web site, which includes a detailed map of the detour, is at www.kingcounty.gov/burkegilmantrail. Construction information is also available by subscribing to King County Parks construction alerts atwww.kingcounty.gov/parksalerts or by “liking” King County Parks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iheartkcparks.

Some residents who live near the trail in Lake Forest Park have been concerned about the trees that are being removed to make way for the improvements.

Up to 219 trees have been identified for removal.

King County’s arborist and an arborist hired by the city of Lake Forest Park did a walk through of the trail with the contractor Tuesday to mark trees for removal and further analyze what trees should be removed. Six trees are currently in question, said Gina Auld, King County’s project manager.

The major redevelopment project aims to improve trail safety, with a new 12-foot-wide asphalt surface and soft-surface shoulders, enhanced traffic controls, improved sight distances and better drainage. This portion of the trail has cracked and uneven asphalt and standing water that can create dangerous conditions for some trail users, the county said.

The 18-mile trail begins in Shilshole Bay in Ballard and extends around the northern perimeter of Lake Union and the northwestern perimeter of Lake Washington, eventually meeting with the Sammamish River Trail in Bothell.