Alert 11/3-14: Sammamish River Trail ‘intermittent’ closures near NE 175th St + 2 days of full closures, dates TBD
The red marks the approximate work area. The green marks a possible unofficial detour route.
Map by Seattle Bike Blog.
King County Parks is fixing a section of pavement on the Sammamish River Trail between NE 178th and NE 175th Streets in Woodinville, so expect “intermittent” closures between November 3 and 14. There will also be two full-day closures at some point during this work period, though those dates have not yet been announced.
Once again, the county is not creating a detour, saying, “No detour is guaranteed during these closures. Please plan for alternate routes.” This is a pattern with King County Parks for trail work, and one more example of why the county needs to create a proper trail detour policy that treats the trail as a transportation corridor rather than just a park for recreation. This is a very busy trail, one of the gems of the region’s trail network. The County must secure a reliable and safe detour option for people.
Bob Svercl and I have both been looking at the options, and there should be an OK detour option via NE 178th St, 130th Ave NE/Little Bear Creek Pkwy, 131st Ave NE, and Wilmot Gateway Park, but this route requires a fence gate at NE 178th St to be open. I believe it usually is open, but technically a few feet of land between the trail and the street might be private property (it is sometimes difficult to know how accurate the Parcel Viewer website is at such a detailed scale and where street right of way begins and ends). I believe the gate is often unlocked, and the Strava heatmap (account needed to zoom in) suggests that trail users pass through the gate fairly often. But if that gate is closed, then I don’t know what people are supposed to do. The two freeways and the river pen the trail into a corridor with no other access points for at least a 1.3 miles to the west, so it will be very important that the gate stays open at all times that the trail is closed.
We need King County to ensure people can access NE 178th and that folks know they need to go all the way to Wilmot Gateway Park or the the south sidewalk on 175th to reconnect to the trail. The connection will not be obvious to users on the ground, which is why signing a detour is important. Not everyone reads Seattle Bike Blog, unfortunately.
Details from King County Parks:
Starting Nov 3-Nov 14, A portion of the Sammamish River Trail between NE 175th St and NE 178th St will experience intermittent closures over a two-week period to remove and repair asphalt on the trail.
Trail users should expect up to two full 24-hour closures during this work period. Additional shorter closures may occur for striping activities. Single-lane closures may also be required for sign installation.
No detour is guaranteed during these closures. Please plan for alternate routes.
Thank you for your patience as we complete these necessary improvements.
Questions? Contact parksinfo@kingcounty.gov or (206) 477-4527.
#SEAbikes #Seattle
Solarbird 
solarbird
Northwest Beer Guide
Northwest Beer Guide
Tom Fucoloro
Led By Gilded Fools
Matt Hucke
