Politics & Government
A Path With a Killer View: Edmonds Planning Pedestrian Promendade on Sunset Avenue
City wants to move sidewalk and bike path to the west side of Sunset Avenue to create a mixed-use recreational area and meeting place.
The city of Edmonds is looking to make a scenic stretch of waterfront road more accessible to walkers, joggers, bikers and those simply hoping to enjoy views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.
As it exists today, Sunset Avenue between Bell and Casper streets—which lies between million-dollar homes and the Burlington Northwest Sante Fe Railway—is more friendly to cars than people. Pedestrians navigate through the narrow, dirt-and-grass shoulder on the street’s west side, frequently dodging between parked cars.
Sure, there’s a sidewalk and bike path—on the east side of the street.
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The solution? A 12-and-a-half-foot-wide, user-friendly sidewalk on the west side, with a new five-foot bike lane, both taking advantage of unobstructed views of the Sound.
The Sunset Avenue path project is part of the city’s six-year transportation improvement program, a planning document identifying partially funded and unfunded projects that are planned or needed over the next six calendar years. The plan was approved Tuesday by the council.
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The cost of the path project, now in the consulting phase, is expected to total $867,000, said Bertrand Hauss, city transportation engineer. Edmonds is looking to secure federal and state grant funds, as well as local funds. The design phase is set for 2014, with construction in 2015.
So don’t expect the path to be completed right away.
The project isn’t funded until 2015, with $11,000 in local funds and $77,000 in expected grant funds. During Tuesday’s council meeting, however, councilmember D.J. Wilson proposed an amendment to speed up the Sunset project, moving $50,000 budgeted in local funds for the on Fourth Avenue North.
Wilson’s proposal for the transfer of funds was defeated 3-2.
Although the amdment didn’t pass, all councilmembers, as well as other city staff, seem to place a high priority on the path.
“If you’re really looking for a sensational pedestrian experience where multiple couples can be walking, rollerblading, wheelchairs—all kind of mobility could take place on this pedestrian promenade,” said Phil Williams, Public Works director.