LAST UPDATED:  June 2021

Several Short Segments of Trail to be Built

A 2017 feasibility study set the vision for a two and a half mile long shared-use path that will run roughly parallel to future light rail in Shoreline. The study identified the preferred alignment for the Trail and assessed the level of effort (easy, moderate, difficult) to construct each segment of the Trail (see color-coded segments on the Preferred Alignment map below).

At this time, Shoreline City Council has given no direction for property acquisition for the Trail project. In areas where topography or property challenges are present, on-street connections (see purple dashed lines on map) will be used to connect gaps in the Trail until a time when the greater vision of a continuous trail may be achieved.

Now that the study has been completed, what happens next?

The Trail segments will be implemented in phases. As part of the Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension permitting requirements, Sound Transit will be constructing right of way improvements along portions of 1st Avenue NE, 3rd Avenue NE, 5th Avenue NE, and NE 195th Street (see green and white checkered segments on the map). With these improvements, Sound Transit will construct approximately 20 non-contiguous blocks of the Trail, including a shared-use path along the perimeter of the Shoreline South/148th and Shoreline North/185th light rail stations that will be ready for use by their opening date in 2024.

The City currently is designing pedestrian and bicycle improvements on 5th Avenue NE from NE 175th Street to NE 182nd Court where improvements will connect with one of the Trail segments that Sound Transit will be constructing between NE 185th and NE 180th Streets. 

The City is also designing the rough grading and retaining wall for a Trail segment  along the western perimeter of Ridgecrest Park. The City is working closely with Sound Transit to ensure the design of this Trail segment is compatible with the construction of the light rail guideway. Constructing this retaining wall (which is needed for the Trail) after the light rail is operating would be very restricted, so the City is moving forward with this early work so that the opportunity for the Trail to and through the park is not missed.  This work sets the foundation for a future project to construct the finished trail when funding is secured.  

All the above smaller segments underway will eventually be connected to create the continuous Trail Along the Rail.

Each year, staff will review possible Trail segments to determine segments that may be competitive for the type of funding available in any given grant funding cycle.  More details will be shared as they become available.

Click on above map for larger image.

Key to numbers and letters found here.

Feasibility Study Final Report

In 2016, the City of Shoreline began a feasibility study to evaluate a possible 2.5 mile long shared-use path that would run roughly parallel to future light rail in Shoreline. The analysis continued into 2017, and the final Trail Along the Rail Feasibility Report has been completed.  This report includes:

• The preferred alignment.
• A near-term continuous pedestrian/bicycle route and the long-term vision.
• Connections to key destinations such as future light rail stations, the library, parks, schools, and the surrounding transportation network.
• Regional trail system potential.
• A phased implementation approach.
• The study process and next steps.
     
  

Various cross sections that may be used along the trail
In some locations, the trail could be located under the Lynnwood Link Extension (LLE) guideway.	In other locations, the trail could be located adjacent to the LLE transit wall.	Where a roadway closely parallels the LLE (e.g. 5th Avenue as it approaches the 185th Street station), the roadway could be retrofitted to incorporate a trail on its west side.	In some locations, a maintenance access road could double as a shared-use path.
Where there are physical challenges, such as steep topography or right-of-way pinch points, the trail may be redirected to the local street network.		There are a range of options for creating on-street connections.

Background

Development of light rail through the City of Shoreline presents a unique and rare opportunity. The City is looking at the possibility of building a shared-use path running roughly parallel to the light rail alignment through Shoreline.

Located on the east side of I-5, the shared-use path would run from N 145th Street to NE 195th Street. It would enhance pedestrian and bicycle access to the planned Shoreline South/145th and Shoreline North/185th light rail stations, as well as connect to the NE 195th Street pedestrian bridge over I-5. In addition, the shared-use path could connect to local streets, parks, open spaces, and schools within the neighborhoods adjacent to the light rail alignment.

Similar to the Interurban Trail, the “Trail Along the Rail” could serve as Shoreline’s segment of a potential regional pedestrian/bicycle network that could ultimately connect cities along the Lynnwood Link Extension (LLE) light rail alignment from Seattle all the way to Everett.