2019/06/12 Council Agenda Packet

ra Plan Section 5 5.6 1-5 Bridge to Langus Park The most probable alignment of the foot/bike bridge to Langus Riverfront Park will be north of the 1-5 bridge, aligned roughly with the Summit Avenue intersection. The bridge must be 55 feet above the water. The City is in the process of determining design options for the bridge with two very different options shown below. No funding is currently available for construction. rr:_ ,Silt f5�-`� # — _. — r- - � - ; \ 3 _ -l xie Implementation This section includes the link between the SR 529 and 1-5 bridges. In the short term, the connection will be made by a 10-to 12-foot-wide sidewalk on one side of E. Marine View Drive. These improvements will take a major step in securing a continuous trail system around the peninsula. However, the ultimate objective is to establish a continuous trail along the waterfront wherever possible.A trail running largely along the shoreline is particularly important in Section 5 because of the desirability of access to the City-owned forested wetland complex just north of I-5 and excellent views of a particularly picturesque reach of the Snohomish River and Ferry-Baker Island. Although the shoreline connection in Section 5 is especially desirable from a public standpoint, its implementation is complicated by several factors, namely: • Railroad tracks separate the shoreline from the rest of the city throughout the entire length of the section. • The Port owns several tracts of land along the shoreline, and direct access along the shoreline will only be required if these tracts are developed with nonwater- dependent uses. •- The steep grades and railroad lines will require that relatively expensive pedestrian/bicycle bridges be constructed at Sections 5.5 and 5.6. The timing of the construction of various segments of Section 5 is complicated by the expense of the bridge elements and the phasing of Port development. The challenge is to build a trail increment that is useful to the public when it is completed. Building Segment 5.4, for example, will not provide a public benefit until it is connected to the main trail, and the use of the whole section will not be great until connections to the north and south are achieved. It appears that the logical place to begin is at the south end, where a bridge connection across the tracks to the City-owned wetland complex would make a logical destination. This bridge connection should also be coordinated with the cross- river bridge connection to Langus Riverfront Park and Smith Island. Two other immediate City actions are recommended. The first is to work with the Port, BNSF, and Weyerhaeuser to eliminate public access restrictions on the riverside access bridge. This bridge is a highly desirable link to the shoreline, especially because alternate links in Section 4 may not be achieved for some time. Shoreline Public Access Plan Update 2019 43 36