LAST UPDATED:  September 2024

Initial Progress 

The Trail Along the Rail will be a two and a half mile long shared-use path that will run roughly parallel to light rail in Shoreline. 

With completion of the Sound Transit Lynnwood Link light rail project (service on this line launched on August 30, 2024 from Northgate to Lynnwood), about 20 non-contiguous blocks of trail have been completed by Sound Transit. In addition, the City worked with Sound Transit to complete rough grading and a retaining wall for the Trail along the western perimeter of Ridgecrest Park (work that needed to be completed along with light rail construction).  The City has also completed pedestrian and bicycle improvements on 5th Avenue NE from NE 175th Street to NE 182nd Court which connect with the Trail.

The City now has a pending grant application that would allow this project to move into development of a Master Plan to address how the City will fill in the gaps and move forward in completing the Trail Along the Rail.  If successful in obtaining this grant, in late 2026/early 2027, the community will be included during a public outreach process so that staff can incorporate input, including where neighborhood connections should be located.  More details will be shared as they become available.

Prior Work

A 2017 feasibility study initially set the vision for the Trail Along the Rail. This initial step was necessary in order to work with Sound Transit so that the possibility of a trail was not precluded by their light rail design and construction. The study identified a preferred alignment for a trail and assessed the level of effort (easy, moderate, difficult) to construct various segments (see color-coded segments on the Preferred Alignment map below). 

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.

Frequently Asked Questions