Old Bothell Trestle To Reopen

BOTHELL

Gone are the railroad ties, replaced with a concrete walkway, and now King County officials are weeks away from reopening the old Bothell trestle where a teen was pushed to his death two years ago.

It will be Blyth Park Bridge, the city's link between the 40-acre park and the Sammamish River Trail.

Come next month, this formerly abandoned trestle will be open to pedestrians and bicyclists.

"It will give you a good view of the (river) and the embankments from both sides," said John Ryland, project manager for King County.

It will also be safer than the century-old trestle where Michael Schuerhoff, 18, of Mill Creek was pushed 36 feet into the slough and drowned.

Authorities say that on Jan. 2, 1996, Brian Schrader, then 17, shoved Schuerhoff over the bridge on a bet with friends for $30 and a bag of marijuana. Schrader is now serving a 20-year sentence.

At the time, the trestle was fenced off and officially off-limits. But it was nevertheless a hangout. In the summertime, teens would jump off the span or swing on a rope from the bridge center.

Local leaders say they have cleaned up the place as well as its image.

It helps that Schuerhoff's death remains ingrained in the minds of many youths. Few hang around anymore.

And although some locals wanted the trestle demolished, that would have been expensive because Bothell runs sewer lines across the span.

"We would have to tunnel (the lines) underneath the slough," Merrill said.

Instead, the county and city chipped in for the $108,000 pedestrian bridge. Workers recently erected a chain-link fence along the 270-foot bridge.

"This is as secure as any other pedestrian pass," said Bothell City Councilman Jeff Merrill. "It's as safe as it has ever been."

The connector will give pedestrians restroom access at Blyth Park and create more foot traffic.

Whether the latter will pose a problem to neighboring homeowners remains unclear. "They may be adversely affected, but until the project is in effect, I don't know," Councilman Michael Noblet said. Tan Vinh's phone message number is 206-515-5656. His e-mail address is: tvin-new@seatimes.com