A hard-fought, 1.2-mile section of the E Lake Sammamish Trail finally opens today after more than a year of construction and many, many years of planning and advocacy.
King County Parks is hosting an opening celebration at 2 p.m. today (Wednesday), after which the trail will be only one segment away from linking Issaquah and Redmond.
The newest 1.2 miles (“South Sammamish A”) connects to the existing section into Issaquah. It doesn’t make many new major connections, but it’s one vital step closer to a completed trail.
The final and most hotly-contested section (“South Sammamish B”) is still making its way through legal challenges.
With the 520 Bridge Trail now open, the Eastside Trail under construction and the E Lake Sammamish Trail slowly rolling out, the region’s trail system is in the midst of a serious expansion phase. But this work isn’t happening by accident. Advocates, neighbors and public servants have been working on these projects for a very long time.
Details on the opening celebration, from King County (RSVP):
Join us on Wednesday, January 17 at 2 p.m. as we celebrate the grand opening of this 1.2-mile-long segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail!
After a brief ribbon cutting ceremony and award presentation, we will have family-friend trailside activities, hot beverages, and light snacks – all courtesy of King County Parks. And for those of you who ride bicycles, Cascade Bicycle Club will be on hand with their mobile tune-up station.
When: Wednesday, Jan 17 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Where: Trail Plaza at SE 33rd St
Parking: Lake Sammamish State Park Boat Launch (shuttle available to event)
Comments
7 responses to “Penultimate section of the E Lake Sammamish Trail opens today”
Thanks to King county and all the local advocates. This is a fantastic addition to this very useful bike corridor.
Unfortunately, the last section will take a very difficult negotiation to bring it to completion. It may approach the missing link in terms of barriers to completion.
The linked article to the Eastside Rail Corridor says that two segments were going to open by the end of 2017. Any update?
There latest I heard was Sammamish denied permits again. The main issues are impacts to properties due to trail wi dth, access to beach side property, and one goofy stop sign on a cross street. The last remaining section has some very narrow parts. Owners are digging in and King county hasn’t really budged from the design standards followed for the completed section.
Sorry was actually referring to the Eastside Trail mentioned in passing above along with the 520 Bridge Trail, not the E Lake Sammamish trail (the focus of the article). The blog entry from August suggested that two sections, a continuation of the Cross Kirkland Corridor just north of 520 and a 4-mile stretch south of 90 to Renton, would be completed by the end of 2017. I managed to answer my own question by looking at the King County site (http://www.kingcounty.gov/services/parks-recreation/parks/trails/regional-trails/popular-trails/eastside-rail-corridor.aspx) – now slated for Spring 2018.
[…] Expanded regional trail: A major segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail opened this week. […]
More of the same old, same old. People bought lake front property hoping that the rail road in the middle of the land would be abandoned and they’d get the land for a nominal cost or for free. And not have a chain link fenced path with “people” on it.
Oh dear. Yes people can leave trash alongside a trail, yes they can be noisy and inconsiderate if you happen to step onto the trail while they are zooming by. But this is a prime access road for non car use and anyone living along it will have a direct route to Issaquah or Redmond without having to use their car. A boon for their health.
Having just ridden this trail for the first time this weekend, I have to say, bike enthusiast and Cascade member that I am, I am not all that enthused about making that last gravel section match the ends – I found it perfectly pleasant to ride the gravel bits and be in among the houses – if I lived along there I’d be unhappy about paving it too – it’s quiet, rustic, completely rideable and much nicer than the paved bits for a walk or run, it seems to me. Personally, I’d much prefer, not that this has any chance, a little work on the roadway to make it easier/safer to get on and ride, and leave the trail alone.
-Pascal