Major Eastrail Projects Opening in 2023
By the end of 2023, three major projects will connect Eastrail segments in Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, and Woodinville, filling major gaps in our regional trail network, and opening miles of connected, safe trail between communities in King County and beyond.
This City of Kirkland project spans a long, busy intersection in the Totem Lake neighborhood. The new bridge, scheduled to open July 8, 2023, will connect the current most northern Eastrail segment from Kirkland to Woodinville to the of the Cross-Kirkland Corridor, which continues to Bellevue and the Spring District.
Northup Connector
Construction is slated to begin on this vital connection between the Eastrail in North Bellevue and the 520 Trail Corridor, which extends from downtown Redmond to the Montlake neighborhood in Seattle. Led by Eastrail Partners on behalf of King County, with $2M of funding from Meta and REI, and last-in funding secured by King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, this trail connection is scheduled to open late Summer 2023. Once completed, it will provide Eastrail users with a gradual, direct connection to existing sidewalks and the 520 trail corridor on Northup Way.
Located adjacent the forthcoming Wilburton Station of Sound Transit’s East Link Extension, this overcrossing is currently under construction. Due to unfortunate ongoing supply chain issues, opening of this project has been pushed back until likely early 2024 (previously planning for fall 2023). Once it opens, it will provide trail users a safe crossing over the busy, five-lane NE 8th Street in the Wilburton neighborhood of Bellevue, just East of 405 and Downtown Bellevue. In addition to the overcrossing, King County will reopen a currently closed trail section spanning from NE 4th Street by the Bellevue REI to the trail’s current terminus near the Spring District. Paired with the Totem Lake and Northup Way projects, this opening will mean that trail users can bike all the way from NE 4th in Bellevue, around the north end of Lake Washington, and back across the 520 bridge, all on connected trail segments.
This overcrossing also includes important history of the area, which was once the site of the Bellevue Growers Association packing and shipping warehouse – the only location Japanese American farmers could distribute their produce from. The bridge design team collaborated with Bellevue’s Japanese American Legacy Project to memorialize the contributions of the Japanese American community in Bellevue, incorporating permanent art features as part of the overcrossing.
All together, these trail projects will enable safe connections to community and open up miles of previously disconnected trail segments across the region. We look forward to more updates as construction continues, and hope to see everyone out this summer as we celebrate these important openings!