Interurban Trail (Snohomish County)
Encyclopedia
The Interurban Trail is a rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

 in Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...

. It is a hard-surfaced, non-motorized trail located on the Pacific Northwest Traction right-of-way, a route used until 1939 by the Interurban Railroad between Seattle and Bellingham. The trail in Snohomish County runs over 16 miles (25.7 km).

The trail is administered in three sections. Snohomish County
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...

, Everett
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...

, Lynnwood, and Snohomish County PUD
Snohomish County PUD
Snohomish County Public Utility District is a public utility providing power to 320,000 customers in Snohomish County and on Camano Island, Washington. It provides water service to over 20,000 customers in the northeast section of the Snohomish County....

 administer the section from Everett to Lynnwood. From 212th Street SW to 228th Street SW is administered by Mountlake Terrace, and the remainder to the King County Line is administered by Edmonds.

Trail Route

From north to south, the trail takes the following route:
  • From Pacific Avenue, south on Colby Avenue;
  • At 43rd Street, shifting east to hard-surfaced right-of-way south.
  • Merge with paved roadway to Broadway.
  • Broadway south to Highway 526;
  • At Highway 526, shifting west, crossing highway, following West Mall Drive south;
  • At 112th Street, right-of-way parallels Interstate 5 on west side;
  • At 128th Street, crosses Interstate 5 overpass and parallels freeway on east side;
  • At 160th Place, heads east, then south on 13th Avenue;
  • At 169th Drive, heads west, then parallels Interstate 5 south;
  • At Maple Road, crosses Interstate 5, then south crossing Highway 525 to Alderwood Mall Boulevard;
  • Parallels Interstate 5 with brief local road detours to 44th Ave;
  • Follows right-of-way west to South Lynnwood Neighborhood Park;
  • Follows local roads to 212 Street.
  • At 212th Street, shifting east to right-of way;
  • Right-of-way south to 228th Street.
  • At 228th Street, heads west to 76th Avenue;
  • Follows 76th Avenue south to county line, joins with Interurban Trail (King County)
    Interurban Trail (King County)
    The Interurban Trail is a rail trail in King County, Washington.It is a partially paved recreational trail open for non-motorized use. It connects Tukwila to Pacific, and the towns of Kent, Auburn, and Algona along the way....

    .

History

In 1910, The Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway began electric passenger service. After the railway was abandoned in 1939, it was converted to a power line corridor. In the 1990s, the right-of-way was opened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Interurban Car 55 is a restored trolley from this route, and is located at Heritage Park, east of Interstate 5 on Poplar Way in Lynnwood next to The Wickers Building, which is now the Transportation Museum. The building was originally located along the rail line and includes an exhibit on its history.

Future Alignments

In Edmonds, the right-of-way consists of unused dirt alleyways and private property. The City is planning to improve the trail and acquire property, but in the meantime routes trail traffic onto local roadways. Mountlake Terrace's portion of the trail ends at 228th Street SW and Shoreline's part of the trail ends at Highway 104 by 76th Avenue W. Edmonds plans to link these sections.

On the northern portion of the trail, an overpass over Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...

near 128th Street and an extension into downtown Everett is proposed.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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