(Shoreline, WA) – Today, Senator Patty Murray spoke in Shoreline at the ground breaking ceremony for the Interurban Trail, a 3-mile park and trail system. Murray secured $400,000 for the project. At the ceremony, she was joined by Shoreline Mayor Scott Jepsen, Shoreline City Council Members, and residents.
Senator Murray’s remarks follow:
“Thank you Mayor Jepsen. It’s great to be back in Shoreline and to see my old neighborhood and friends. I’ve worked with many of you since my days on the school board.
We all take great pride in Shoreline because it’s always been a great place to live and raise a family, and I know that firsthand.
Just blocks from here, I raised my own family. When my kids were young, we were always out on bikes going up and down the streets. As a mom, you always hold your breath and hope that they’ll be safe riding their bikes on the street.
Now kids and everyone else will have a new trail they can ride – where they’re safe from cars and trucks. And it’s not just a great recreational trail; it’s also an alternative to the traffic on Aurora Avenue. That’s why I’m so proud to help break ground on this new trail.
When it’s finished, the Interurban Trail will provide a link for pedestrians and bicyclists to neighboring communities, shopping, services and jobs. The Shoreline section of the Trail will connect the Interurban Trail to the north in Edmonds, and to the south in Seattle. It will also provide access to transit centers at Aurora Village and the Shoreline Park and Ride.
Completing a project like the Interurban Trail takes the collective effort of state, local and federal leaders.
Last year, several of you came to my office in Washington, D.C. and asked me to support a request for a Federal appropriation for the Trail. You made a compelling argument that the three-mile trail in the City of Shoreline will provide recreational opportunities that don’t current exist and transportation alternatives to Aurora Avenue.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, I was able to secure $400,000 in last year’s budget for this project. The state, led by Senator Darlene Fairley, secured an additional $1.5 million for the project in the recent State budget.
With the resources provided by the various partners, we’re now able to break ground on this part of the Trail. And this is just the start, because there’s a lot more work to do to complete all three parts of the trail that go through Shoreline.
I want to congratulate all of my friends on the city council and all the local leaders, especially Mayor Jespen. I’ve watched Scott grow from the early days when Shoreline was first incorporated to now as the 14th largest city in Washington state. And I know that managing a city of this size is not easy – especially with the budget cuts that are trickling down impacting the local government.
Scott’s doing a great job and he’s one of the main reasons why Shoreline is still a great place to live and raise a family.
Tomorrow, we’ll celebrate Shoreline’s eighth year as a city, and this new trail shows us that the community is still working together to make life here even better. The fact that Shoreline is still a great place to live and raise a family is a testament to the local leaders and citizens who support efforts like this trail. Congratulations.”
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