Thanks to the Seattle Park District, a grant from King County Parks, and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, there is a great new space to ride bikes below the rush of I-5 between Capitol Hill and Eastlake.

This week, the Seattle Parks Department and members of the alliance gathered to celebrate the opening of the $314,000 overhaul of the city’s I-5 Colonnade mountain bike skills park including a new paved track ideal for young riders and those riding mobility devices.

“The new large main asphalt pump track provides a low-maintenance riding experience, while the adaptive, beginner and family-friendly track offers a lower-risk environment for those new to the sport,” the city said in its announcement. “The adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) track accommodates mobility devices, ensuring access for all riders.”

At Tuesday’s opening celebration, even a skateboarder was putting the new pavement to use.

CHS reported this spring on the two-track project below the busy freeway on the slope between Capitol Hill and Eastlake.

The Alliance has been working to improve the bike recreation area challenged by homeless camping, litter, and the area’s steep slopes. It designed and built the Colonnade as “the first urban MTB skills park to open in the United States” when the space debuted in 2005. The Alliance began seeking funding for the new tracks in 2018. The group has been holding work sessions to help prepare the area for the new effort.

With designs by Jeremy Bushnell, former pro BMX rider and current Evergreen trail builder/designer, the two new asphalt tracks are built for pump track style riding — basically, biking without pedaling on circuits with banked turns and rolling routes.

The 3,000-square-foot paved adaptable and all skills rider track and 9,000-square-foot main track that is a bit steeper and faster are hoped to modernize the existing Tqalu Skills Zone area on the lower edge of the park near Eastlake and the I-5 Colonnade Off-Leash Area.

The tracks can be especially appealing for young riders. The goal of the new asphalt tracks is to make the area more “accessible, fun, and safer for riders of all skill levels,” EMBA says.

The project has been built with funding from the Seattle Park District and the King County Parks Capital and Open Space Grant, with additional support from community donations and volunteers.

You can find the new Pump Track in I-5 Colonnade Park at 1701 Lakeview Blvd. E. Learn more at seattle.gov.

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