Work on $3.4M Beacon Hill bike trail could begin next spring

Seattle is preparing to build a $3.4 million bike trail along the west slope of Beacon Hill, so that riders could pedal mostly among the trees from the Jose Rizal Bridge to Sodo.

If the City Council approves the project this month, construction would begin in the spring and finish late next year.

Instead of plunging directly from north Beacon Hill toward the stadiums, the route heads mostly north-south above Interstate 5, through a greenbelt known as "The Jungle" for its history of homeless encampments and drug users.

From there, riders would then take the existing overpass to cross I-5 at South Holgate Street. Not far from the bottom is a north-south Sound Transit trail.

A future trail phase is supposed to reach the stadiums, via switchbacks on the north hillside.

Features of the planned Beacon Hill trail include a paved trail, crosswalks, landscaping, lighting and signs. It wouldn't directly serve cyclists heading downtown from the Eastside on the I-90 floating-bridge trail but would help cyclists reach jobs in Sodo.

Beacon Hill residents could ride it to I-90 or to bus stops at Rainier Avenue South, said David Hiller, advocacy director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. Riders from Seattle University or Capitol Hill could bypass downtown on their way south.

Because much of the trail would be through the secluded Jungle, safety is an issue, said Councilmember Sally Clark. If the trail becomes popular and is heavily used, she said, the safer it would be.

Asked if she would go there after dark, Clark said, "probably with my dog."

The new trail will be part of the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway, which follows the I-90 corridor more than 100 miles from Puget Sound to Central Washington.

The City Council's Transportation Committee will consider a land-lease agreement Tuesday with the state Department of Transportation, followed by a full council vote Sept. 20.

The trail was proposed a decade ago, before the recession and new political disputes pitting bikes against autos.

Of the $3.4 million total, $2.3 million comes from a 2000 city parks levy, $980,000 from federal grants and $114,000 in local street funds.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com