Photo credit Demi Allen
At its June 9 meeting, the Bainbridge Island City Council discussed accepting a $700,000 federal grant for improvements for bikers and walkers on Eagle Harbor Drive between McDonald and the shoreline. The project needs to be submitted to the granting agency by July 15 and constructed in summer/fall of 2020. Public Works staff presented to Council a design for 7-foot-wide, “visually separated” bicycle lanes on each side of Eagle Harbor Drive.
Councilmembers, echoing comments from the community including members of Bainbridge GreenWays, stressed the importance of building bicycle facilities that meet “all ages and abilities” criteria, which for this project would require separation between the vehicle and bicycle/pedestrian lanes.
Councilmembers requested that staff further investigate the “separated” options and report back at the June 23 Council meeting. During that meeting, Councilmembers will decide whether to accept or return the grant funds. If the grant is accepted, the City will need to contribute $100,000 in matching funds.