Eastside Rail Corridor
| Eastside Rail Corridor | |
|---|---|
|
Eastside Rail Corridor route | |
| Length | 15.6 mi (25.1 km) |
| Location | Eastside King County, Washington, USA |
| Trailheads |
Renton (southern terminus) Brightwater plant near Woodinville (northern terminus) |
| Use | Hiking/Biking |
| Elevation | |
| Highest point | 200 ft (61 m), Kirkland near Peter Kirk Elem. |
| Lowest point | 20 ft (6.1 m), Lake Washington shoreline |
| Hiking details | |
| Right of way | Great Northern's Woodinville Subdivision |
| Website |
www |
The Eastside Rail Corridor is a rail trail under development in the Eastside suburbs of Seattle, Washington. The corridor follows the path of the former Woodinville Subdivision from Renton to the Brightwater sewage treatment plant in unincorporated Snohomish County near Woodinville and Bothell.[1]
History
Acquisition
The Port of Seattle acquired the right of way of the former Woodinville Subdivision from BNSF Railway through purchase and donation in 2008.[2] On December 10, 2012 the King County Council approved purchase of 15.6 miles (25.1 km) of the right-of-way from Port of Seattle.[1] A portion of the central corridor, named the Cross Kirkland Corridor, is owned by the City of Kirkland;[3] a spur to Redmond, named the Redmond Central Connector, is owned by the City of Redmond;[4] and a northern portion of the corridor remains Port property for dual use as a trail and freight line. Some state residents brought suit against the Port of Seattle because the purchase was not used for freight in its entirety.[5]
Opening
In January, 2015, the 5.75-mile (9.25 km) Kirkland portion of the Eastside Rail Corridor, with compacted gravel surfacing, opened for pedestrians and bicyclists.[6][7]
Cities and connections
Cities through which the corridor passes include:
- Renton
- Newcastle
- Bellevue
- Kirkland (Cross Kirkland Corridor)[3]
- Redmond (planned Redmond Central Connector)[4]
- Woodinville
Trail connections
If constructed as proposed by King County, these other trails would or could link to the Eastside Rail Corridor:[8][6]
- Burke-Gilman Trail / Sammamish River Trail
- East Lake Sammamish Trail
- Cedar River Trail
- Soos Creek Trail
- Snoqualmie Valley Trail
- Green River Trail
- Interurban Trail
- Snohomish County Centennial Trail
- Lake-to-Lake Trail (Bellevue)
- Lake-to-Sound Trail (Renton to Des Moines)
- Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail (I-90)
- State Route 520 Trail
- Tolt Pipeline Trail
Ballard Terminal Railroad injunction
A short line terminal railroad operating in Seattle, the Ballard Terminal Railroad, filed suit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington and petitioned the Surface Transportation Board on April 1, 2013 seeking to prevent the city of Kirkland from removing the rail tracks for the planned trail. The Ballard Terminal Railroad says they want to keep the tracks intact for future rail freight use.[9] On May 3, 2013 Federal District Court Judge Marsha Pechman granted the City of Kirkland’s motion to dismiss the case filed by Ballard Terminal Railroad Company seeking to prevent rail salvage on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. In her oral ruling, Judge Pechman stated the Federal District Court did not have jurisdiction to consider Ballard’s temporary restraining order (TRO) and that the Surface Transportation Board was the proper forum for adjudicating Ballard’s claims. On Aug. 1 2013 the Surface Transportation Board denied the request by Ballard Terminal Railroad Company to block rail removal along the Cross Kirkland Corridor
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eastside Rail Corridor, Metropolitan King County Council, December 10, 2012, retrieved 2012-12-14
- ↑ Eastside Rail Corridor, Port of Seattle
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cross Kirkland Corridor, City of Kirkland, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Redmond Central Connector Phase 1, City of Redmond, retrieved 2013-03-06
- ↑ Scott Gutierrez (August 30, 2010). "Lawsuit: Purchase of Eastside rail corridor was illegal". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Alexa Vaughn (January 31, 2015), "Longest stretch of Eastside Rail Corridor opens in Kirkland", The Seattle Times
- ↑ Tom Fucoloro (February 2, 2015), "Kirkland's new trail changes everything", Seattle Bike Blog
- ↑ "The Eastside rail trail corridor". King County executive. January 26, 2009. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ↑ "Cross Kirkland Corridor rail removal halts, faces federal lawsuit", The Kirkland Reporter, April 2, 2013, retrieved April 2, 2013
Further reading
- C.B. Hall (November 13, 2012). "Eastside rail: The Humpty Dumpty of Northwest transportation". Crosscut.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
The Eastside's only rail line is in the midst of a five-way tug-of-war: Kirkland, Redmond, the Port of Seattle, Sound Transit, King County. Can so many owners ever amount to a whole, functioning transit line?
- Cooledge, Mia (2013). Sustainable Urban Rail Trails: Designing the Cross Kirkland Corridor (Scripps Senior Theses). Claremont Colleges. Paper 139.
- Westneat, Danny (June 7, 2014), "Was public railroaded in trail deal? Government officials said they bought the Eastside rail corridor for use as a trail, but it turns out that wasn’t quite true. Now the courts are making them pay substantially more for it — at taxpayer expense", The Seattle Times, retrieved June 8, 2014
External links
- Eastside Rail Corridor at King County government website
- Eastside Trail Advocates
- Eastside Rail Now
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