It’s time to stop walking and start running to complete the Burke-Gilman Trail
By Ed Feeley
The Burke-Gilman Trail is the crown jewel of our regional trail system. Every day, thousands of people walk, run, bike and inline skate this multi-use trail connecting Bothell to Golden Gardens—well, everywhere on the trail except in one notable place.
Right here in Ballard, there is a big break in the Burke-Gilman Trail, well-known as the “Missing Link,” that runs from Fred Meyer to the Chittenden Locks.
For people who walk or skate, it’s no-man’s land along NW 45th Street, Shilshole Avenue NW and NW 54th Street (which is all gravel). But for people who bike, it has been incredibly dangerous. In a recent four year period, emergency vehicles responded to 45 bicycle crashes along NW 45th Street and Shilshole Avenue NW—mostly where railroad tracks cross NW 45th Street under the Ballard Bridge.