SDOT is set to start work as soon as Monday on another fix to hopefully prevent people from crashing while biking across the train tracks under the Ballard Bridge as they navigate the notorious Burke-Gilman Trail Missing Link.
Crews will tear out sections of the roadway and replace it with gravel in hopes that this will “add more visual and physical cues for bike riders to follow the correct path across the train tracks,” according an SDOT blog post.
The biggest issue here is that the train tracks cut across the roadway at an unusual and shallow angle, and the gaps between the road and the rails can easily grab bike wheels if riders do not cross at a 90-degree angle. The city has tried multiple times to use paint and plastic posts to encourage riders to cross at a sharp angle, but people continue to crash and get injured here.
SDOT says this fix is not part of the Missing Link project, which remains held up in court. That design would move the bike path to the south side of NW 45th Street, bypassing this crossing area entirely in favor of an easier crossing location to the west of the Ballard Bridge. But as legal delays keep delaying that work, people are still getting hurt.
Riders in the area will need to detour around the work zone via 14th Ave NW and NW 46th Street. The work is expected to last up to three days. A safer track crossing would be an incredible Christmas present.
SDOT also plans to return to the location in 2023 to make more improvements, including rerouting the bike lanes around the south side of the bridge supports. Here’s what that could look like:
