Arlington trail to make park access safe
Published 5:36 pm Saturday, September 5, 2009
ARLINGTON — Paving on 188th Street NE is nearly finished, the first phase of an improvement project designed to provide better access to two of the city’s most-used parks and trails, as well as a better link connecting two industrial corridors.
The existing asphalt was pulverized for re-use as the base for the new roadway, and paving is expected to continue through Tuesday. The street will be wider and sturdy enough for the commercial trucks that travel between 67th Avenue NE and 59th Avenue NE.
More importantly, once the paving project is completed this week, work on building a safer trail for pedestrians is expected to follow.
Federal economic stimulus money is helping to fund a new safer passage for children on 188th, city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.
People who walk, skate or bike along the Centennial Trail and the Arlington Airport walking trail have been traversing a busy street without sidewalks.
Kids headed to games at Evans Field and Quake Memorial Field, the Arlington skate park and Arlington Boys &Girls Club, all on 59th Avenue NE, are especially vulnerable in the traffic, Banfield said.
The city’s $122,000 federal grant will fund a new 10-foot-wide pedestrian walkway, called the 188th Street Trail, on the north side of the street. An additional $25,000 from Arlington’s traffic project fund will help pay for the paved trail. The trail construction includes curbs and storm drainage work.
Work on the walkway is expected to begin on Thursday and be finished by mid-October.
The work on the street also includes better lighting, another safety issue on 188th, public works director James Kelly said.
The cost of the road project is about $232,000, and comes from city transportation mitigation funds and airport capital funds, he said.
More information is available by calling 360-403-3503.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
