Eastside Regional Trail - Once in a lifetime opportunity!

King County is working to secure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save an invaluable rail corridor for the benefit of the public.

With more than 47 miles of right-of-way from Renton to Snohomish, the Eastside rail corridor is one of the largest rail preservation projects in the nation. It passes through highly diverse urban, suburban and rural agricultural areas. It begins near the north end of Coulon Park in the City of Renton and passes through unincorporated areas, as well as seven cities, six in King County (Redmond, Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue, Newcastle and Renton) and one in Snohomish County.

Government entities must play to their strengths and also look at new models for securing the services people need in this new century," said Sims. "Instead of traditional ways of financing such an extraordinary opportunity, we looked at our assets and developed an innovative partnership that will benefit our residents in multiple ways."

"The rail corridor will give us added quality of life and a legacy that will be seen as visionary in the future," Sims said. "This would help King County concentrate on a regional parks and a trail system like none other in the nation. The concept also allows the County to land-bank the corridor so it will not be parceled out by private development. The corridor was assembled over one hundred years ago and once it is divided, it will be lost forever."

Since 2003 BNSF has been interested in divesting itself of the rail corridor. Rather than let the property be sold piecemeal and lost to public use, Sims entered into an exclusive agreement last year with the rail company to negotiate a sale price that would allow King County to preserve the entire corridor. With this deal, instead of financing the trail purchase, the county will use an existing asset to secure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Sims said no decisions about the final use of the corridor will be made without completing the thorough public process begun roughly a year ago by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The public process has sought involvement by the citizens of King and Snohomish Counties as well as all impacted cities, communities and stakeholders.

Visit the Executive's homepage for more information on the proposal including video footage of the announcement, maps and news coverage. Also visit the Proposed Eastside Trail Website

Recent strories about this project:

"Paths to Wellness" Open!

Health and wellness are vital to the residents of King County and many are turning to complementary therapies, such as reflexology, as a way of maintaining health, in addition to traditional Western health practices. Scientists at the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) recently confirmed that walking on a cobblestone mat surface results in significant reductions in blood pressure, improvements in balance and physical performance among adults 60 and over. King County has come together with ÁegisLiving to provide reflexology paths at White Center Park, just south of Seattle, and at Marymoor Park near Redmond. For more information about our reflexology paths, visit the Parks Reflexology Website

Recent strories about this project:

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