As Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier ventures around her city, she sees a gap in its infrastructure.

And, as the new year approaches, she hopes that the issue with the Interurban Trail can be resolved in 2017.

The trail connects five South King County cities – Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Algona and Pacific – along a nearly 15-mile-long stretch that follows the historic Interurban Rail Line before it ends at 3rd Avenue Southwest in Pacific.

But, as Guier explains, the trail could be extended to Stewart Road, which would connect it across the county line into Sumner, where it would extend into Pierce County Trails.

“We’re the missing link,” she said.

Guier said Pacific received an appropriation to finish the trail, but she said the Department of Commerce is not expected to release that $1.8 million in funding until sometime next year. She said city officials also are trying to determine whether they can use some of the appropriation to perform maintenance at the end of the existing trail.

Before groundbreaking can occur on the project, which Guier hopes will occur next summer, she said the City must acquire property, perform wetland mitigation, work with Puget Sound Energy officials on its easement, and design the trail extension.

“I think it’s really important to have the ability to provide access to the trail,” Guier said. “It would be nice to take your kids on a bike ride and not worry about being in traffic. It just enhances our community living to have access to our trails.”