New SR 520 Eastside bike path links Lake Washington Blvd. and Evergreen Point Rd

There’s a new bike route way-finding sign at the corner of Northrup Way and Lake Washington Boulevard in Bellevue.

New SR 520 bike path has view of Kirkland and Lake Washington

It reads “Seattle – 7” and points toward a bike path that heads into a tunnel and follows State Route 520.

The bike path is newly opened, but it doesn’t make it all the way to Seattle, Yet. It does, however,  demonstrate  the intention of highway builders to include a bicycle path on the SR 520 replacement bridge that’s currently under construction.

The new bike path runs between the Lake Washington Boulevard / Northrup Way / 112th Avenue road intersection westerly for 2 miles to a pleasant viewpoint overlooking the bridge construction at Lake Washington. It was part of the Eastside Transit and HOV Project on 520 that was completed in December.

I’ve been itching to ride this bike path. I stopped by a couple of times during the fall when most of the path was complete, but it wasn’t opened yet because machinery was using it to access the SR 520 project.

Cyclist on SR 520 bike path

The trail is fresh blacktop and cement, and the sound walls separating it from noisy SR 520 haven’t even been tagged yet.

This trail replaces the steep climb on Points Drive NE for those bicycling between Kirkland and Medina or Bellevue’s Clyde Hill. [If you bought a copy of my Best Bike Rides Seattle
book, see Chapter 5, North Lake Washington Loop.]

It also extends beneath 92nd Avenue NE and 84th Avenue NE to the new highway lid at Evergreen Point Road. A transit center is located at the 92nd Avenue NE crossing for bicyclists who want to pick up a bus to cross the bridge to Seattle. A covered viewpoint is located at the Evergreen Point Road crossing.

Today, the trail ends at a construction zone. One day, when the bridge is complete, bicyclists will be able to continue across the bridge and hook up with the Burke-Gilman Trail in Montlake neighborhood on the west side.

In fact, the WSDOT just sent out some information on that on Friday, as it has completed designs for the final portion of SR 520 in Seattle.

Meanwhile, check out the view from the new Evergreen Point Overlook. One day we’ll be bicycling across here.

The bike path ends at an overlook on Evergreen Point Road.