South Snohomish County receives Verdant grant to complete “Missing Links”

As Cascade continues its work to complete the Burke-Gilman Trail’s infamous Missing Link, the wheels are turning in south Snohomish County to improve conditions for bicyclists and would-be riders. As part of their “Building Healthy Communities” initiative, the Verdant Heath Commission approved funding Wednesday for a 1.9 million dollar, three year project to complete 11 critical missing links in the Snohomish County bike network. In addition to funding 5.9 miles of route improvements, the grant will also support education, end of trip bike parking facilities and wayfinding signage.

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We know that 60 percent of the people in our region would like to ride more, but have concerns about safety. In making bicycling safer for riders of all ages and abilities, these improvements will empower safety-conscious riders who may have been previously dissuaded.

The cities of Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds collaborated on the grant and are working to improve connections between the communities by connecting important destinations such as Swedish Edmonds Hospital, the Interurban Trail and high-capacity transit.

In the summer of 2013, Cascade led two bikeability assessments in south Snohomish County, and this grant will fund many of the improvements recommended in those assessments.