Here’s some great local bike shop news: Mello Fellos (formerly known as Mobile Bike Repair) is opening a location in the Belltown/Denny Triangle space formerly home to Velo.
Mello Fellos/MBR has been operating out of a much smaller space near 9th and Stewart since 2012 while also hosting mobile repair services for bike commuters at major employers like Amazon and Fred Hutch.
“Since the closure of Velo, we’ve boomed,” said Jesse Angelo, who owns Mello Fellos along with Andy Graef. “It just made sense for us to move there. It’s already built as a bike shop.”
UPDATE: WSDOT announced this morning that the trail work has been cancelled. So the bridge trail will be open this weekend, though sections may be skinnier than usual.
The 520 Bridge Trail will be closed again this weekend, and this time stretches of Montlake Blvd. and Lake Washington Blvd. will be closed as well along with the trail and all the Montlake 520 ramps. The closures are scheduled to begin 10 p.m. Friday (Dec. 8) and reopen 5 a.m. Monday (Dec. 11).
People biking and walking along Montlake Blvd. “will be detoured through the area.” But expect some serious traffic issues on other routes like Boyer Ave E.
Though through-lanes on SR 520 will be open, the trail will be closed while crews “continue installation of irrigation and electrical systems near the new bike and pedestrian bridge we’re building over SR 520 in Montlake,” according to a WSDOT construction alert email.
I have resisted opening a merch shop for a few reasons, but I finally invested in setting up a proper shipping center so that I can efficiently process orders and get them in the mail without running around looking for boxes or standing in long lines at the post office. Selection is currently limited on purpose. I want the shop to have items that are unique, but I also want to prioritize supporting our work. I don’t want you all to spend your money on Seattle Bike Blog merch where most of the money goes to some third party company because I know most of you are buying it at least in part as a way to support this site. I also don’t want boxes of t-shirts all over my house. So while I do have plans for some more fun things to add as we go forward, the shop will grow slowly.
On that note, I would love to hear your ideas for merch in the comments below. Or you can email me at [email protected]. I am also very interested in speaking with any local makers or businesses who want to collaborate. Also, please let me know if you run into any issues.
The (hopefully) good news is that this section of the trail happens to have easy access to Riviera Pl NE, so trail users should have access to an easy detour around the slide. But be prepared for delays if you’re traveling through.
With the opening of the trail connector between the Eastrail and Northup Way, the in-development rail-trail now connects directly to the 520 bike route. And Hanoch Yeung was there to document the opening and ride the short new trail on his YouTube Channel Best Side Cycling.
This short elevated pathway will play a vital role in the regional trail network, especially once the Eastrail is extended and connected into and through Bellevue. The NE 8th Street bridge in the Spring District was supposed to open in 2023 as well, but it has faced some delays and will open in 2024. But the biggest section of trail in Bellevue is waiting on some major projects like the Wilburton Trestle, currently scheduled to open in 2025. That’s not so long from now.
Folks heading to and from the direction of Seattle on the 520 Trail and connecting in the direction of Kirkland on the Eastrail, the new connector is a bit out of the way but saves a very steep on-road connection on 108th Ave NE near the South Kirkland Park and Ride. However, I suspect many people will continue to ride 108th because it is significantly shorter. But essentially every rider coming to and from areas east of I-405 will be much better served by this new connector.
The Northup Connector was “a private-public partnership with $2M funding from REI Co-op, Meta, and last-in funding secured by King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci,” according to Eastrail Partners.
Crews will close the bridge starting at 11 p.m. tonight (Dec. 1) and will reopen it 5 a.m. Monday (Dec. 4). The map shows that the trail will be open on the Eastside up to 92nd Ave NE.
The intense weekend of work includes pouring permanent pavement for the roadway deck as well as installing electrical and irrigation elements for the trail overpass in Montlake, which is why the trail must also be closed.
There are no easy detour options. Over the top of the lake, down to the I-90 Bridge or throw your bike on a bus, which will also be on a major reroute. So give yourself a lot of extra time if you need to cross the lake along the the 520 corridor. And if you’re traveling Sunday, check the 520 Construction Corner website in case they finish work early.
