Plans for the state’s megaproject to replace the SR 520 Bridge are getting better in many ways, but major gaps in the walking and biking environment still remain, especially in the Montlake area.

The majority of the project’s Seattle end remains unfunded, but the state is moving forward with design work in hopes the legislature steps up and provides the more than one billion dollars still missing.

The state presented some updated concepts for some pretty good new trail connections around the project this week, including a connection on the Portage Bay Bridge to Capitol Hill and new Lake Washington Loop and Arboretum links. But the project is still a highway expansion project, and plans include some huge intersections and a very wide, car-packed Montlake Boulevard.

There are also no clear plans for a new biking and walking connection across the ship canal, which is needed since they cannot widen the historic Montlake Bridge to accommodate the ever-increasing number of people biking and walking between Montlake and UW.

The Good

First up, let’s look at the good stuff. The state’s glossy concept image makers have been pumping out some very high quality stuff showing off the improved biking and walking connections. You can see these images and their context in the presentation PDFs at the bottom of this post. (more…)