Starting on June 15, King County Parks will close the Burke Gilman trail in Lake Forest Park from NE 145th to Log Boom Park for construction.

The trail is scheduled to be closed until the end of September.

"Parts of that trail are 33 years-old and is deteriorating," said project manager Gina Auld. "It doesn't meet KingCo trail standards."

Funded by the Parks Expansion Levy, NE 145th to Log Boom Park, the project, after a short delay caused by a bid-dispute, received the go-ahead at the end of May.

This 1.7 mile stretch of the Burke Gilman Trail is the oldest and narrowest section of the trail and Auld said some of the safety issues include limited sight, drainage problems, and deterioration of the trail.
Scheduled to open in the fall, the improved trail will have 12 feet of asphalt in width with soft service shoulders, improved intersections, new striping, and improved vegetation management.
Auld said the closure will cause some hardship for bicycle commuters and King County is offsetting this inconvenience with added bike-carrying buses along State Route 522.

Additionally, the county is working with Cascade Bicycle Club and other governments to find a suitable detour. While a detour has been identified, it will not be official until King County Parks has secured permits from the cities of Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Seattle. KingCo Parks is still awaiting a permit from the City of Lake Forest Park.

Auld warned that the proposed detour route is long and does includes several steep hills. Bicycle commuters who use this portion of the trail are encouraged to use Metro and Sound Transit bus services to get around the construction zone. Recreational trail users are advised to use other portions of the regional trails system.

A map of the temporary detour route will be posted at www.kingcounty.gov/burkegilmantrail as soon as it becomes available.

Visit the project website for more information.