Walk the Ballard Neighborhood Greenway this weekend

Following an open house event last week, Ballard Greenways is hosting a neighborhood walk along the proposed Ballard greenway along NW 58th St. this Sunday.

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Ballard Greenways previously invited neighbors to ride the proposed greenway route. On Sunday, the community is invited to walk it.

At last week's open house, the Seattle Department of Transportation presented its plans for the Ballard Neighborhood Greenway, a 2.1 mile long greenway beginning at the Burke-Gilman Trail at Seaview Avenue NW, traveling along NW 58th and 57th Streets, and terminating at 4th Avenue NW.  The greenway will make it safer and more comfortable to get around Ballard and visit places like the Ballard library, parks, schools, and the Burke-Gilman Trail.

Proposed improvements include:

- Signs and pavement legends along the greenway
- Stop signs to control traffic crossing the greenway at certain intersections
- Widened sidewalk on Seaview Avenue NW to access the Burke-Gilman Trail
- Median island at 24th Avenue NW and NW 58th Street
- Diverter for eastbound traffic at 15th Avenue NW and NW 58th St (at St. Alphonsus School)
- Additional bicycle parking at destinations along the route

While work on the greenway is set to begin this September, the discussion is far from over. The SDOT presentation drew a large crowd of interested as well as concerned neighbors, and this weekend's "Let's Walk Ballard" events aims to continue the conversation about bringing safe and healthy streets to Ballard.

The walk starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5, at West Woodland Elementary School, 5601 4th Avenue NW, and will end an hour later at Ballard Commons Park, 5501 22nd Avenue NW. This is an opportunity to get informed about greenways, share ideas and express concerns. Children are welcome.

For more information, visit the Ballard Greenways Facebook event page.