The Kitsap Environmental Coalition submitted a formal petition to the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners on September 29, 2026, requesting an alternative highway alignment for the northern leg of the Sound to Olympics Trail.
According to formal reporting from Kitsap Daily News , coalition representatives emphasized that the State Route 104 corridor provides sufficient public right-of-way width to install a barrier-separated, twelve-foot asphalt path with standard gravel recovery shoulders.
Cyclists facing mechanical failures or inclement weather can access roadside transit pullouts directly from the separated bike path, a safety feature unavailable on remote singletrack trails deep within the park interior.
That historic evaluation focused on widening existing paved highway shoulders directly adjacent to high-speed vehicular traffic.
Connecting the Kingston ferry terminal to the regional network along an arterial roadway satisfies federal commuter utility criteria that interior forest trails cannot meet.
The Kitsap Environmental Coalition asks Kitsap County Commissioners to evaluate an alternative separated multi-use path along State Route 104 to protect Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park from trail fragmentation.