Bellingham waterfront plan includes connecting new park to South Bay Trail
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- Bellingham approved land purchase to extend trail from Salish Landing to South Bay
- Trail project links new park with quiet zone rail crossing, begins construction 2026
- Cleanup and park development at former industrial site to proceed over three years
A long-sought connection between two waterfront parks via the South Bay Trail took a step forward last week.
On a unanimous vote, the Bellingham City Council approved the purchase of 0.66 acres of land near Wharf Street and Cornwall Avenue from Whatcom County for $15,000.
“It’s a funny little triangle where Wharf Street goes down to the waterfront,” Councilman Michael Lilliquist said. “And to put in a pedestrian trail we need to put in a retaining wall. We need the extra space to do the earthwork and a retaining wall.”
The purchase will allow the city to build trail access from the planned Salish Landing Park at the south end of Cornwall Avenue to the South Bay Trail and Boulevard Park, Public Works Department spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon told The Herald.
“The trail along Wharf Street was added to the updated Transportation Improvement Program, and Public Works and Parks are actively pursuing funding for this long-sought pedestrian connection so that it can be included in the Pine Street (railroad) crossing project,” Cilinceon said in an email. “The project is expected to begin construction in 2026 and will complete a trail from the Cornwall-Pine Street intersection across the railroad tracks to Wharf Street. The additional extension to the South Bay Trail will require additional funding to complete.”
City officials had hoped for a waterfront trail linking the two parks, but it was impractical to build a path parallel to the BNSF tracks near the shoreline. In addition, an over-water walkway would cross ecologically sensitive eelgrass meadows that are part of the near-shore habitat at the new Salish Landing Park.
Instead, the city is building a walking and biking path up the steep hill along Wharf Street from the waterfront to the South Bay Trail.
A pedestrian crossing at the BNSF tracks over Pine Street at the foot of Wharf Street will be part of a new railroad “quiet zone” project at Pine Street.
“We expect to begin construction next year on the Pine Street Crossing project, which will be a multi-use path crossing that will be built to quiet zone standards,” Cilinceon said.
Both the trail and the railroad crossing are moving ahead in conjunction with the first phase of Salish Landing Park, which includes a toxic cleanup of the former industrial site.
“The RG Haley and Cornwall Avenue Landfill Cleanup Projects are currently out to bid and could start construction by the end of the year. Once construction begins, we anticipate the cleanup work to take approximately three years,” Cilinceon said. “The first phase of the Salish Landing Park will be constructed at the same time as the cleanup work. This phase includes some parking spaces, bike parking, trails, habitat improvements, boat launch and beach creation.”
