SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council passed legislation Tuesday to fix the dangerous "missing link" portion of the Burke-Gilman Trail.
The "missing link" refers to a 1.4-mile gap between two sections of the iconic Burke-Gilman Trail stretching from Golden Gardens to Bothell. This portion of the trail is located near the Ballard Bridge on Shilshole Avenue NW. A rail line runs through the bike lane, which has caused multiple accidents.
The council unanimously voted to pass the legislation, sponsored by Councilmember Dan Strauss.
“I am excited we can finally make one of the most dangerous railroad crossings in our city safe for people riding bikes," Strauss said. "When I was in grade-school I watched someone crash on these tracks the very first time I rode my bike on this section of the missing link and I am glad we can finally put a stop to this.”
The legislation will allow the Seattle Department of Transportation to start working on safety improvements, including paving over the section of trail.
"I crossed those tracks and didn't make it to the other side. I've lost full extension of my right elbow,” said Jason Justice who is one of the first injured cyclists to join the 'missing link' lawsuit against the city of Seattle. That was two decades ago.
Now, 22 years later, the Seattle City Council hopes to make this section safer by paving over the railroad tracks.
"It's frustrating that we went through all that and it's taken 20 years to make something happen. It makes me wonder how many hundreds of accidents have happened in that time that could have been avoided," said Justice.
Paving work is expected to start as soon as Thursday, Oct. 26, weather permitting. During SDOT's work, cyclists will need to use a detour at 14th Avenue NW and NW 46th Street.
"I mean I know a lot of people who have crashed on it, it sucks," said Zach Hale who knows that 1.4-mile portion of bike path well. "Every day I ride this trail. It's way easier to get around the city on a bike."
The photo below shows the portion of the trail SDOT is planning to pave.
"What was passed yesterday in city council does not resolve the issue of the Missing Link but hopefully it will make this street reasonably safe for travel which is the duty the city has and I think wants to meet,” said Attorney Bob Anderton who represented Justice and continues to represent injured cyclists today, including a lawsuit filed this month.
"The railroad tracks are the problem and hopefully paving over them is the solution," said Anderton.
A resolution for the troublesome portion of the trail has been discussed for years and the city has tried everything from repainting the bike lanes to adding gravel to the tracks.
Previously in August, 10 bicyclists who said they were injured on the missing link filed claims against the City of Seattle for "its failure to make the existing roadway reasonably safe for ordinary travel."
"The configuration, the way they've painted the roadway, the way they've tried to channel cyclists through here, it's remained confusing," an attorney with Washington Bike Law told KING 5 in August. "This is a crucial connection between that end of the Burke-Gilman Trail and where the trail picks up again. A lot of families are using this route to get to Golden Gardens, to recreate, to get to the Nordic museum and just to get to Ballard in general and it's not safe for really any cyclists."
According to the city, the paving improvements will allow cyclists to ride through the area without crossing railroad tracks at a sharp angle.
"Hopefully paving over the tracks will be done soon and done right," Anderton said.