PHOTO BY BEN MILLER

A 15-year journey finally came to its climactic end when the city of Milton officially cut the ribbon on its section of the Interurban Trail. In the end, the path – which stretches more than two and a half miles through the city – cost $1.4 million in construction and planning, most of which came from federal grants. Residents of Milton and surrounding areas decided to start a journey of their own, walking or riding their bikes on the trail’s first day of being open

Interurban Trail in Milton finally opens

By Ben Miller

It took almost 15 years, but the city of Milton was finally able to open its portion of the Interurban Trail April 22. With about 50 onlookers that included Milton citizens, politicians from neighboring cities and people who just plain wanted to go for a walk, the city was able to cut the ribbon on its three-mile, $1.4 million creation.

Milton used more than $1 million in grant money to fund the construction of the project that Public Works Director Letticia Neal said was originally supposed to cost just $700,000 when it was first proposed.

“It turned out to be a very expensive project,” Neal said, noting that prices increased substantially in construction since the project began. The money from federal grants was a major part for the city being able to do such a big project.

“That’s the only way a little town of 6,000 people could do this,” said Mayor Katrina Asay. “The nice thing about trails is federal funding is available.”

The Interurban Trail project stretches from South 380th Street and 70th Avenue East. It is planned to eventually connect with similar trails in Edgewood and Fife, with the bigger goal being a 30-mile trail system that stretches through cities all around the Puget Sound region.

As of right now, neither Edgewood nor Fife has completed their portions of the trail, but when the whole thing is completed, Asay said, “You will be able to go from Tacoma to Seattle, making it an alternative method of transportation.”

At the ribbon cutting ceremony was Pierce County Councilmember Shawn Bunny, who talked fondly about growing up next to the Burke-Gilman trail – which stretches along the western shores of Lake Washington – in Seattle as a child, and how this is a step forward to something like that.

“We have wonderful trails in Pierce County,” he said, “but we certainly don’t have enough of them.”

Though the trail was officially opened at the ceremony, people have been using it for much longer than that. Asay said that they couldn’t keep people off of it, even before it was paved.

“It’s such a long stretch, two-and-a-half miles of unobstructed trail,” Neal said. “Here you can walk for miles and not see any traffic.”

Asay said that the trail is a welcome sight to Milton, which does not have a lot of easy-to-travel sidewalks. Also coming with the paved road and the fences put up for safety, the trail features benches, picnic tables and viewing areas.

“This is a multi-generational opportunity and work of art,” Asay said at the ceremony. “It is because of the foresight of those before us that it is here today.”

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