Ground broken on final link of East Lake Sammamish Trail

As soon as January 2006, people could be able to walk, jog and bike the entire East Lake Sammamish Trail.

King County Executive Ron Sims' vision for an eastside destination public trail finally became reality today when ground was broken on the Sammamish portion of the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Litigation held up construction of this portion of the trail for five years, but in May King County finally received all permits necessary to begin construction.

"Years from now, people will not remember the battle," said Sims. "They'll just be enjoying the beauty of the trail. Today, we are here to thank so many people whose work will leave a wonderful legacy for generations to enjoy."

Sims was joined for a ceremonial groundbreaking by Sammamish Mayor Don Gerend, King County Council Chair Larry Phillips, Gene Duvernoy, President of the Cascade Land Conservancy, and many trail enthusiasts including representatives of Friends of East Lake Sammamish Trail, Cascade Bicycle Club and the Bicycle Alliance.

"This will not only be an exciting regional amenity, but a jewel in the growing necklace of Sammamish non-motorized facilities," said Sammamish Mayor Don Gerend. "Sammamish is working closely with the county to address such issues as local access, signage and security for users and adjoining property owners."

"This is a day that trail users, Eastside families, park enthusiasts and I personally have been waiting for for a long, long time," said King County Council Chair Larry Phillips. "I'm thrilled that we will soon have our 'missing link' to the East Lake Sammamish Trail and the Mountains to Sound Greenway completed. This is an important part of a trail system that is one of the finest in the nation and a great step forward for people living in King County and our region."

"As an early participant in the effort to create this trail, we are proud to see it finally happen," said Gene Durvernoy, president, Cascade Land Conservancy. "Executive Sims and King County worked hard to bring this safely through its final chapter. A great trail system makes this region a special place to live, work and raise a family – all the elements that are a part of the Cascade Agenda."

In 1998, King County purchased the 12 mile East Lake Sammamish rail banked corridor for $2.9 million from the Lands Conservancy of King County and Seattle (now Cascade Land Conservancy), which had preserved the option for public ownership of the trail when it stepped up to purchase the rail corridor from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. In 2000, the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved a plan for interim use of the trail. Following five years of extensive environmental review, public outreach and input, and much litigation, the county's vision for a public trail is finally becoming a reality.

In May of this year the county announced all permits necessary to construct the trail had been obtained. Following that, the Puget Sound Regional Council's (PSRC) Transportation Policy Board approved crucial funding for the trail allowing the county to move forward with using the federal transportation funds allocated for construction of the section of the interim trail in the City of Sammamish. The total cost to construct the trail is $1.6 million with $900,000 coming from federal transportation funds and the rest from real estate excise taxes set aside for parks and recreation.

"The public has waited a long time for this magnificent addition to King County's extensive regional trail system," said Sims. "Now, we can finally open a crucial link between the cities of Issaquah, Sammamish, and Redmond in what promises to be one of the best regional trail networks in the country. It has been a long time coming but we know it has been worth the fight to ensure the public's access to the spectacular waterfront trail in a rapidly growing area of East King County."

The county is currently in the process of hiring a contractor to construct the interim trail and expects work to begin by mid-September. The interim trail will be constructed of five-eighths minus gravel spread on top of gravel and will not be appropriate for thin tired racing bikes or inline skates. The final paved trail will be constructed when a master plan is adopted by the King County Council and all relevant permits obtained. The Master Plan is expected to be submitted to council early in 2006.

The East Lake Sammamish Trail will enhance what is already one of the finest metropolitan trail systems in the U.S., with 40 miles of continuous non-motorized trail. A cyclist starting in Ballard can follow the Burke Gilman Trail past the University of Washington to the north end of Lake Washington. From there the Sammamish River Trail runs east and south to Marymoor Park. The East Lake Sammamish Trail will run from Marymoor to Issaquah, where the cyclist will have the opportunity to turn east and head up Snoqualmie Pass on the Iron Horse Trail, part of the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway.

The county has invested over $20 million to acquire, develop and restore a system of 175 miles of trails -- a model for the nation. This includes acquiring roughly 525 acres of new trail facilities and almost 20 miles of new developed trail. King County's trail plan calls for over 300 miles of trails that link communities.

Trails are very popular in King County. A recent trail survey counted 9,163 users along the Burke Gilman and Sammamish River Trails on a Saturday. On a Tuesday the next week there were 8,010 users on both trails.
King County's Parks and Recreation Division manages 25,389 acres of parks, pools, open space, natural land and trails. This includes 68 baseball fields, 61 soccer fields, four pools, 88 picnic areas, 34 playgrounds, 27 tennis courts, 13 boat launch sites, more than 175 miles of trails, six fishing piers, four community gardens, a climbing rock, the area's best off leash dog park and the world class Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.