By
| Posted
via SDOT Director Greg Spotts.
For background on what’s happening here, see our previous story.
UPDATE: I biked there so I could touch it myself to confirm it’s real. It is. However, I now see that this looks like a blurry Big Foot photo from a hunt for the mythical Missing Link. Oooh, there’s a good Halloween costume idea in here somewhere…
UPDATE 10/28: It’s open!
About the author:
Related posts:
Wow! How does this affect the overall goal on Shilshole? And I hope Strauss didn’t sell out on the Leary non-alternative to get this done?
Nothing in the agreement says anything about the trail plans. I read through it (document is linked in our previous post), and it is quite narrowly written pertaining to transferring the franchise agreement to Meeker Southern railroad and allowing SDOT to pave this section. It didn’t otherwise change the terms of the franchise or make mention of future trail projects. Of course there may still be something I’m not seeing, but cascade scrutinized the deal, too, and also supported it so I’m cautiously hopeful.
I also spoke with CM Strauss about it and have no reason to believe that he made any background deals not in the text. He also described it to me as narrowly focused.
So if this cuts the rail line in two, that means the rail line east of here is effectively closed, right? But their locomotive storage yard, as far as I’m aware, is east of here. So what are their plans going to be now? Just park along Shilshole?
Y’know, as much as I disagree with Dan Strauss on this issue (particularly how he’s made himself into Mr. Leary/Market without ever addressing the challenges of it), I don’t think he’s some kind of cartoon villain that’s always got his fingers crossed behind his back.
If I understand the proper BGT plan, it’s always been to continue along the south/west (watery) side of the street, all the way from Fred Meyer, along Shilshole, onto Market, past the locks, until crossing Seaside. One of the bitter ironies about all the iterations of (and all the fighting over) this part of the interim trail is that it was never supposed to be here long. It’s like when Greg Spotts makes a good post on Twitter: OK, but it feels like we should all be doing this some place else by now.
They did esentially cut the tracks in two. They did store the engine east of the now paved section but now it is being stored to the west so it can still access the tracks that connect to the mainline. There is a new fenced in area just west of 24th (near Pacific Fishermen Shipyard) where the engine is being stored. However they have not moved any freight on these tracks in at least 6 months, but they have moved some empty cars. I do hope we can see completion of the trail along Shilshole soon and not along Leary as councilmember Strauss has stupidly proposed.
The point to the Leary proposal is to say it’s better to give up on Shileshole and have something than to keeping fighting for Shileshole forever and get nothing.
It may not be ideal, but the fact is, the law gives people who want to obstruct the upper hand, so long as they’re willing to spend millions of dollars each year on lawyer fees to make it happen. And pouting about it isn’t going to change that.
As a supporter, you help power independent bike news in the Seattle area. Please consider supporting the site financially starting at $5 per month:
Leave a Reply