On Wednesday, December 20, the Washington State Department of Transportation opened the new SR 520 bike path allowing bicyclists and pedestrians to cross Lake Washington from Montlake to the Eastside.
The new separated 14-foot-wide path connects Seattle to the Eastside and over 60 miles of regional trails including: Point Loop Trail, Burke-Gilman Trail, Washington Park Arboretum Waterfront Trail, and the Bill Dawson Trail.Officials expect about 1,000 people to use the path per day ranging from commuters to recreation seekers. Bicyclists and pedestrians do not have to pay a toll to cross the bridge.
Eastsiders can finally traverse the floating bridge in its entirety to the Lake Washington Loop in Montlake. They have had access to a section of the path since the summer of 2016 where WSDOT opened it as an out-and-back trail from Medina that extended partially across Lake Washington.
Montlake Phase
The trail is part of the $199.5 million West Approach Bridge North project built by Flatiron West. The SR 520 path will eventually connect to Interstate 5. The next phase of construction for the SR 520 program is the Montlake Phase of the project. This phase will build a new lidded Montlake interchange with improved bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities. Groundbreaking is anticipated for late 2018.
