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Bill Dawson Trail closes for 5 years for SR-520 project

Bill Dawson Trail (Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT))
(Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT))

The Bill Dawson Trail shut down Monday morning for the beginning of a five-year closure.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says crews will use it as a haul route for the North work trestle as part of the SR 520 Portage Bay Bridge & Roanoke Lid Project.

It will allow WSDOT construction crews and their equipment to safely access the work trestle so they can build the new bridges. The closure spans from the east end of the new pedestrian tunnel under Montlake Boulevard to the Montlake Playfield.

There is a detour in place for bikers and pedestrians in place.

WSDOT says keeping the trail open during construction would pose a serious safety risk.

WSDOT says it noted this closure would need to happen back in 2011 as part of the SR 520 program’s environmental review.

WSDOT did look into whether it could open the trail intermittently, and it isn’t possible.

“We analyzed options to do it differently, but it’s not safe to keep the trail open. There’s not enough space during construction,” WSDOT wrote in a post on Instagram.

The trail is set to reopen in 2030.

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