EDMONDS — Crews have broken ground on the “missing link” in the 15 miles of the Interurban Trail in Snohomish County. The unfinished trail, slightly less than half-mile long, runs through Edmonds on the west side of Lake Ballinger.
The section will head north on 76th Avenue W from the new se
ction in Shoreline at Highway 104 and continue to the old rail corridor at McAleer Way to 228th Street SW. There it will connect with the new southern end of the Mountlake Terrace section of trail.
“The completion of this link is an asset for commuters, recreational bikers and pedestrians alike,” said Carrie Hite, director of Edmonds Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services.
The trail project includes the 0.47-mile, 12-foot-wide paved path, along with landscaping, benches, signage, a bicycle rack, a shelter and an information kiosk. Bike lanes will be added to 76th Avenue W and bike arrows will be added to residential 74th Avenue W to complete the city’s 1.37-mile section of marked trail.
The $1.3 million project will be paid for by state and federal grants.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” Hite said. Grant applications were submitted as far back as 2001. In 2007 and 2008, the grants were awarded and in 2009 the design phase of the project began.
Approximately 1,350 feet of the trail will be surfaced with asphalt porous enough to allow rainwater to drain to the soil beneath rather than run off into nearby Lake Ballinger.
Additionally, a 70,000-gallon stormwater detention vault will be built to treat and store other surface runoff within the project’s footprint. Runoff will be collected in the vault, then released to the city’s storm system.
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