March roared in with record rain, but appears to be giving way to more spring-like weather this week and that has many Seattleites itching to get outside and get active! The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is working to make that happen by putting your transportation levy dollars to good use, making it easier to walk, bike and ride in Seattle. Thanks to the Bridging the Gap (BTG) transportation levy, passed by Seattle voters 
in 2006, SDOT crews are working to inspect and make needed repairs our urban trails, install new route signage making it easier to travel from one part of town to another and they will also be installing more bicycle parking in neighborhoods around the city.
This year, in addition to inspecting more than 40 miles of trails, our crews will make more than ten scheduled spot improvements at key locations along our most heavily-used urban trails. SDOT and BTG will invest $1,165 million in 2014, to inspect and make improvements to urban trails and to maintain existing on-street facilities. Spot improvements can range from filling a pothole, to trimming tree roots or repaving small sections of trail to keep them smooth and easy to navigate for all users.
Crews have already begun installing new signage along more than 25 miles of bike routes and have started installing new bicycle parking spaces which will total 500 by the end of this year. All of this work comes ahead of the upcoming Bike to Work Month (May) and the summer cycling season.
Over the seven years the transportation levy has been in place, SDOT crews have inspected a total of 176 miles of urban trails and bike ways, made more than 173 spot improvements, installed new signs along more than 156 miles of bike routes and installed more than 1,590 bicycle parking spaces. Each of these projects helps make Seattle a little easier to travel through and get you where you want to go whether it’s for work or pleasure.
For more information on BTG please visit the web page.