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| 'Tree bridge' in Kenmore photo by Pam Cross |
As you drive north on 73rd Ave NE in Kenmore, you may be asking yourself: why are there bridges on this sidewalk?
A quick check with the Kenmore Facebook page provides the answer: There are multiple locations where tree roots are damaging the sidewalk. The City of Kenmore is using this innovative approach to preserve the trees by bridging over existing tree roots.
The bridges are a product of PermaTrak (PermaTrak.com) that advertises them as a maintenance-free boardwalk system for trail, greenway and pedestrian bridge projects.
Rather than remove the trees or cut the tree roots, the sidewalk now goes over the area the roots are growing which allows both the sidewalk and the trees to exist in harmony.
Thinking outside the box, Kenmore researched for ways to improve sidewalks while saving the healthy trees that disrupt sidewalks. They recognized the importance of trees to our environment to mitigate the effects of global warming and to prevent the growth of heat islands created by the sidewalks and street hardscape.
A PermaTrak system was used along Dayton Ave N in Shoreline saving 94 mature trees (SAN 11/14/202). In this case a level sidewalk was installed.
Cities, including Shoreline, continue to look for different ways to save mature trees as we strive to make our cities more walkable while protecting their beauty.
--Pam Cross
Sorry for the soapbox, but why do people care about the 10-12 feet used for sidewalks and ignore the 45 feet of paved surface for roads?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd much rather see roads narrowed to 20 feet and the remaining 25 feet of asphalt torn out to make way for more street trees and a completely separated path for people walking—not one jammed up against the edge of the road.
Can we put these over ditches to create walkways?
ReplyDeleteDumbest idea I've ever seen
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!
ReplyDeleteWhat economic analysis was done for this project? Does this project follow justice40 or heal act guidelines? What safety concerns were considered in adding these bridges, noting children, elderly and disabled issues as well as bridges causing blindspots at intersections that I have notice.
ReplyDeleteI would love to meet the idiot that came up with the striping on the street after this project. I could care less about the bridges, this is a Main Street that serves a large number of hames and schools, it needs to be re-striped to reflect the traffic it receives and have the bike lanes cut back to a reasonable size.
ReplyDeleteThese monstrosities are not only ugly they hinder the wheelchair and other handicapped people from enjoying the area that so many did. Maybe plant appropriate plants that don't have big roots that only get bigger with time. The sidewalks are not very old and are already being raised by roots, so maybe cut the trees down and plant bushes that don't have sidewalk destroying roots. We all know what happens with trees, so with our taxpayer money you can use better judgement in the future.
ReplyDeleteNow that the roots have a clear shot at the street, are they going to bridge the street over the roots when they get there?
ReplyDeleteWalking to the bus in the dark morning can be treacherous. Parts of the sidewalks along Meridian are raised more than 2 inches. Coupled with another 2 inches of wet leaves doesn't leave wiggle room for safety if you have any kind of disability. I thought us taxpayers approved these sidewalk repair projects? What's up??
ReplyDeletePeople being mad about this is hilarious. Some of yall need to stay indoors.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! With the climate crisis looming, we need trees now more than ever. Plus, they just look nice. 🌲🌳
ReplyDeleteI was curious about the raised sidewalks. Nice idea. Thank you for explaining.
ReplyDelete