BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Bellingham City Councilmembers are moving forward with a plan to connect trailways within the city.
Councilmembers voted last Monday, March 28th, to approve a $2 million grant application to connect the Bay to Baker Trail with existing trails in the Barkley Village area.
“It will include a bridge over the creek and a continuation of the trail, probably with some boardwalk connectors through wetlands,” said Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Oliver.
Oliver said that connecting the two areas has been a long time coming.
“We are really excited about this project,” said Oliver. “It has been in our list a long time and we think it’s going to compete well. We’ve been successful getting grants in this corridor several times now.”
The trail would connect an existing trail south of Sunset Pond to the Bay to Baker Trail in the north, and to the Racine St right-of-way in the south.
Oliver added that the trail will serve hundreds of people who rely on the city’s trailways for their commute.
“This is going to be a really important connector for the densely populated area off of Sunset,” said Oliver. “As well as linking people into the Bay to Baker Trail that goes under the freeway. So, it will be an important commuter route.”
The council unanimously approved the application, which now heads off to the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office.