Beginning this summer, York neighborhood residents will be able to enjoy direct access to the Whatcom Creek Trail. A pedestrian bridge, new pavement and revamped trailheads along Meador Avenue constitute one of the final street portions of the three-mile trail. Whatcom Creek Trail extends from Bloedel Donovan Park at Lake Whatcom to Maritime Heritage Park near downtown Bellingham.
On May 23, the Bellingham City Council voted 7-0 to authorize the trail improvements. The $853,000 bid from Larry Brown Construction was the lowest of the seven that the council considered.
The principle addition in the project is an 80-foot pedestrian bridge along Meador Avenue. The new bridge will span over Whatcom Creek, connecting Meador Avenue to Kansas and North State Streets. Larry Brown Construction will also repave Meador Avenue between State and James streets, allowing for the installation of a bike lane.
A multi-use trail will be installed along Meador Avenue and Kansas and Ellis Streets. This allows pedestrians, runners, cyclists and skateboarders access to a larger portion of the Whatcom Creek Trail. The project involves substantial tree planting and installing structures to treat storm water, such as pervious pavement and rain gardens.
Carolyn Mulder, a 23-year resident of the York neighborhood, said the project is great news for both Yorkers and all trail users. “I was worried this wouldn’t happen at all, so I am glad to see it is still a priority of the city’s,” she said. “I believe the city is trying to finish projects as quickly as possible.”
Mulder, who jogs on the trail several times a month, said this construction project is a very important way of creating links in the trail. “There are open ditches, gravel and no signs or sidewalks in certain places,” Mulder said. “It’s a little confusing.”
Mulder said she considers the trail a well-used resource and that she consistently sees other people on it. “All the other sections are used heavily,” she said. “People will start using the new portion regularly.”
Per Miller, a Western senior, has lived in the York neighborhood for almost a year and said he likes to use the trail whenever it is warm outside. “My roommates and I do something on the trail – biking, running, scootering – three or four times a week,” he said. “People commute to work on it, go for walks and bike rides, or just use it to get from one end of town to the other.”
Miller said trails like the one along Whatcom Creek are a benefit to the community because they are public use areas. “It promotes a safe atmosphere and makes you feel better than walking in a concrete jungle,” he said. “This is exactly what tax money is for, providing a service to the public.”
Heather Higgins-Aanes, a Bellingham Public Works spokeswoman, said this is one of the final links in an idea that began many years ago. “This particular section will follow city street, thus it falls under the Public Works Department,” she said. “Much of the trail construction has been done through the Parks Department.”
Tim Wahl of the City of Bellingham Parks Department has been involved with the Whatcom Creek Trail for 40 years. He said the current “Kansas greenstreet” project does not specifically affect the trail, as it is mainly installing street trees, travel lanes and a sidepath. Wahl said it must be clarified that this is not the last link in the trail. “Several key links in the creek trail, or providing access to it, are pending,” he said. “Parks is actively working on three of them and another five or six very exciting components are yet to come.”
Mulder said the new section will mean a lot to York neighborhood residents. “I think I will be living in York for a long time,” she said. “So I will continue to use this great resource.”
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