Back in March, we began work on N 34th St. Thank you for your patience as we built new protected bike lanes, safer intersections, and just made things a little smoother in this busy street in Fremont.
Here is a bird’s eye view courtesy of Green Lake & Wallingford Safe Streets.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that N 34th St is the final missing piece of the Great American Rail-Trail through Seattle.
We talked to Kevin Belanger, Manager of Trail Planning at the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy advocates for trails nationwide, showcases the incredible impact that trails have on strengthening and transforming communities, and elevates the passionate work of trail supporters and advocates.
Kevin explained, “The Great American Rail-Trail is a project of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to create the nation’s first cross-country, multi-use trail. When complete, the trail will connect more than 3,700 miles between Washington state and Washington, DC. The route is currently more than 53% complete, meaning that there are over 2,000 completed, off-street trail miles ready for use today.”
The N 34th St protected bike lanes cover a few of these miles.
“The N 34th Street protected bike lanes are not only a part of the citywide plan to provide a connected bicycle network, they are also a critical component of the Great American Rail-Trail through Seattle,” Kevin explained. “The N 34th Street protected bike lanes are the last piece in the puzzle locally in Seattle, creating a seamless trail experience of over 50 miles between Bainbridge Island and Snoqualmie. A friend of mine who lives in Seattle has been using them for her commute to work and provides a rave review.”
Seattle multi-use trails include the Burke-Gilman Trail, which goes through Fremont.
Connections from city streets to multi-use trails like the bike lanes on N 34th St are a great way to get acquainted with biking in the city, feel more confident about your ability to commute on a bike, and get where you need to go feeling safer. Read more about how to use multi-use trails.
So far, people have been enjoying the new bike lanes!
We were pleased to hear from AnnaJoy G., who said, “I just want to say thank you for the new protected bike lane coming off the Fremont bridge, better onramp to the Burke, and SO MUCH SAFER bike lanes around Green Lake. I rely on my bike to get to and from work and you have dramatically improved my life.”