Alert 9/2-10/2: Terminal 91 path closed in Interbay to remove that odd bridge thing, detour uses skinny Magnolia Bridge sidewalk

Detour map from the Port of Seattle.

The Port of Seattle is making some long-needed changes to the section of the Elliott Bay Trail that travels through the Terminal 91 rail yard in Interbay, including widening pinch points and removing the steep and skinny trail bridge. The trail will be closed for a month starting September 2, and the marked detour will direct trail users on a meandering route that includes a very skinny sidewalk on the Magnolia Bridge.

This project will improve the Port's segment of the trail including removing the bike bridge, widening the narrow areas, and providing new paving," according to the project website. We reported on the $1.525 million project back in 2023, but work got delayed a year from the original summer 2024 target.

The marked detour will route people off the trail at the E Galer Street Flyover bridge, then down a spiral to the west sidewalk on 15th Ave W. From there, riders would use the south sidewalk on the Magnolia Bridge and down the ramp to meet up with the path on the west side of the terminal at Smith Cove Park. I walked through this detour route (with photos) in a 2023 post about a similar trail closure for repaving work. This time the Port plans to add some water-filled barriers along the Magnolia Bridge sidewalk, which won't solve the width problem but might make it feel a little more comfortable. The sidewalk is not wide enough for two-way travel, so you will need to be patient and careful when squeezing past other others. People with wide bicycles (trikes especially) should probably consider a different route.

This one sidewalk on the Magnolia Bridge will handle all walking and biking users traveling in both directions.Hmm, are we sure there wasn't a better spot for this street lamp post?

The other option is to ride on 15th Ave W between the Galer bridge and W Dravus Street. 15th has bus lanes and sidewalks but feels like a highway. I would personally take the Magnolia Bridge route instead, though 15th would certainly be faster.

It's frustrating that the Port again did not figure out a way to do a ground-level detour. When we asked about coning off a temporary path through the terminal back in 2023, a Port spokesperson told Seattle Bike Blog, Terminal 91 is a working facility with no sidewalks or bike lanes. It is not safe to detour through a working terminal. We are taking feedback on this detour seriously and are raising it with the local transportation agency. We agree there should be a better back-up solution for the future." Unfortunately, there is still no such back-up solution.

In the end, the result should be a big improvement for biking on one of Seattle's most unique trails. Built in the late 1980s, the path provides a useful biking and walking connection and one of the more memorable city exploration experiences as riders emerge from industrial Interbay, possibly riding next to 737 fuselages traveling the rails, to a blindingly stunning vista across Elliott Bay.