The Interurban Trail is the biking spine of North Seattle. Adjacent to Aurora Ave N and occupying the old Seattle-Everett railway line, this multi-use path is now a commute route for people on bikes and scooters, a popular jogging path, and a neighborhood open space. While The Interurban extends north through Shoreline and into Snohomish County, the trail-like experience ends abruptly at N 110th Street.
A welcoming trail entrance at N 110th Street.
The trail abruptly ends at an unsafe intersection with bad sightlines.
Opportunities to Extend the Interurban
As soon as summer 2024, the Seattle Department of Transportation is planning to make permanent the Healthy Street on Fremont Ave N. This Healthy Street will connect to the Interurban at N 110th Street and continue south to N 88th Street.
Shouldn't the Interurban continue south to connect to the 83rd Street Greenway?
In fact, the Department of Transportation considers the Fremont Ave Healthy Street / Greenway to be a continuation of the Interurban Trail. But when you are forced to share the road with traffic and contend with turning vehicles, the Fremont Ave Greenway is hardly the trail-like experience that you can enjoy further north.
Opportunities to Improve the Interurban
The Interurban Trail runs along the backside of Washelli-Evergreen Cemetery, sharing a wall of the mausoleum on the west side of the cemetery. This longtime neighborhood fixture and de-facto community open space is often used as a park and connecting path for people walking, biking, and rolling. With Washelli-Evergreen enthusiastically supportive of any beautification efforts, a long mural along the mausoleum wall is due.
Our Recommended Improvements
"Connect and Protect" users of the Interurban / Fremont Ave Healthy Street
- At 125th & Trail - Install stop signs on 125th, install better curb cuts, and fix the location of the signal button on the north side of the intersection.
- Along the Trail - Work with Washelli Cemetery to paint a huge mural on the backside of the mausoleum. Work with Seattle City Light to install lighting along the trail (ideally low-light pollution lighting).
- At 110th & Trail - Completely close N 110th Street just east of the trail so there are no bike/car conflicts. Pave the diagonal path and continue the trail to N 109th Street.
- At 105th & Fremont - Keep bike boxes, improve bike sensors in pavement, and prioritize bike/pedestrian crossing times. Install No-Turn-On-Red signs to make turning motions safer and more predictable. Create one-way traffic flow through the La Cabana parking lot so drivers aren't tempted to enter Fremont from 105th. Make Evanston Ave N a one-way entrance to the neighborhood (to complement the one-way exit on Fremont Ave N).
- At 101st & Fremont - Install a traffic island, even just paint and post.
- At 92nd & Fremont - Make this Greenway a permanent Healthy Street as well - it's a critical Safe Routes to School connection.
- At 86th and 87th & Fremont - Repeat the curb extensions planned for 88th and 89th Streets.
- At 85th & Fremont - Repeat the intersection design planned for 105th & Fremont.
- Officially extend the Fremont Ave Healthy Street / The Interurban Trail five more blocks to N 83rd Street to create a complete safe bike route from the city limits to downtown.