The Full Seattle City Council today unanimously approved two bills to allow Mayor Greg Nickels to spend city and levy dollars to acquire the right of way on Northwest 54th Street between 26th and 28th avenues northwest to complete the last section of the Burke Gilman Trail, or the "missing link."

The Seattle City Council Transportation Committee voted the bills through last week.

The property acquisition will complete the multi-purpose trail from 11th Avenue Northwest to the Ballard Locks. The city is in negotiations to buy the property from the Nordic Heritage Museum, which plans to build a new facility on the 2600 block of Northwest Market Street, and B Box LLC, which owns the westerly portion of the two block area.

"This is the last piece between Golden Gardens and Issaquah, basically," said Kirk Jones, project manager of the Burke Gilman Trail project for the Seattle Department of Transportation.

He spoke to council members at a March 3 Transportation Committee meeting.

The city hopes to start construction this year and funding has been secured through city funds and money from the $365 million Bridging the Gap levy, passed by voters in 2006.

The preferred trail location was to be along Shilshole Avenue Northwest, but that idea has been controversial among industrial leaders in the area who say a pedestrian and bicycle trail could make their businesses uninsurable.

Jones said that is still the preferred route, but since it has been a "sensitive" issue design is not moving forward for that portion at this time.

"We are not doing any design work along there," he stressed to council members.

The section from Northwest 60th Street to Golden Gardens was completed last spring.

"Let's get this part finished," said Transportation Committee Chair Jan Drago last week.