The City of Mountlake Terrace was awarded a $500,000 grant for the Veterans Memorial Park Trail Light Rail Connector by Sound Transit’s Board of Directors. Mountlake Terrace is one of only 27 jurisdictions to receive funding for projects that will make it more convenient to get to transit.
The Veterans Memorial Park Trail project, when complete, includes an illuminated Americans with Disabilities Act pedestrian pathway through the park next to the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center, connecting the Transit Center to the redeveloped Town Center and Civic Campus in Mountlake Terrace. This trail will improve pedestrian access and provide a more direct route for commuters to get from the light rail station to the Town Center and city neighborhoods.
The Mountlake Terrace light rail station, set to open in 2024, is part of the Sound Transit Lynnwood Link Light Rail extension. The trail currently has approximately 100 walkers per day and the city is planning for an exponential increase with the completion of light rail.
The main costs for the trail include a new bridge, lighting, crushed rock subsurface, and a paved asphalt eight-foot wide surface. Additionally, retaining walls will be constructed where the narrow pathway is widened on the south end of the trail and extensive site work will be done to create ADA accessible switchbacks. Other costs include design (typically 10-20 percent of construction) and escalation (five percent per year) since the project will not be constructed right away.
The estimated cost of the trail is $1.5 million and a firm will be hired to assist with the design and engineering over the next few years. Public input will be sought to help with design elements. The project must be completed when Mountlake Terrace light rail service begins in 2024.
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