Shade trees coming to major Salt Lake bike trail

State of play: The 9 Line Trail is getting the bulk of the attention, converting nearly 2 miles of "gravel park strips into green ribbons planted with 285 trees and 350 water-wise shrubs that will add shade, cool the air, and improve air quality," per the city's announcement Tuesday.

The big picture: The trail is one of Salt Lake's most central east-west bike routes, running near 900 South from Redwood Road to the whale statue on 1100 East.

• The path includes some long, intermittent shadeless stretches, which can make it a suboptimal summer commute to any destination where you don't want to arrive red-faced and drenched in sweat.

Zoom in: The project also will add benches, tables and signs.

Meanwhile, the Fleet Block public open space at 900 South and 300 West will get about 150 trees, plus other landscape plants and some grass.

Between the lines: Trees take years to grow into a canopy, so it'll be awhile before the benefits are clearly visible.

• That also means the earlier they're planted, the sooner they'll reward our future selves.

Follow the money: The upgrades are being paid for with $11.5 million in grants from the Bezos Earth Fund's Greening America's Cities initiative.

What we're watching: Whether the searing Parley's Trail will someday get the same treatment.