Year in Review: 2022 on the Eastrail
From new park amenities opening along the corridor, critical trail connections, major funding wins, and engaging community in the planning process, Eastrail Partners is excited to share trail highlights from 2022. Read below for a list of what we’ve accomplished in 2022, and a preview of what’s coming in 2023!
Walkers enjoying the new Feriton Spur Park in Kirkland
Trail-Oriented Development in Feriton
In July we celebrated the opening of the new Feriton Spur Park in Kirkland. Adjacent the Google Campus, this park features an outdoor amphitheater, splash park, community garden, Pickleball courts, restroom, and water facilities. It also features an outpost for Chainline Brewing, serving refreshments to trail users. This public-private partnership between Google and City of Kirkland will serve as a model for future trail-oriented development along the corridor.
New Trail Segments
This Spring, King County Parks opened another major trail segment, connecting Totem Lake to Woodinville. City of Woodinville funded the signalized crossing at 145th and the improved trail connection along 145th to the Sammamish River Trail, opening up many new miles of fully connected trail in King County!
Construction on the Totem Lake Connector ramped up this year, with an opening scheduled for Spring 2023. This bridge will make for a stress-free flyover of a busy intersection in the growing Totem Lake area.
Planning work for the Northup Connector continued this year, and we hope to have this connection between Eastrail and the 520 trail in Bellevue open in late 2023.
Drivers on I-405 may have noticed the Eastrail bridge under construction! This project, along with the Wilburton Trestle, will complete a major gap through Bellevue.
In November, we were excited to celebrate in Redmond as they broke ground on the next segment of the Redmond Central Connector, which will connect the existing segment in Kirkland to downtown Redmond and beyond.
Didn’t get a chance to get out on the trail this year? Or aren’t sure what a section will be like? Our friend at Best Side Cycling has been making informative videos highlighting the different Eastrail sections. Take a look: New Woodinville Connection, Kirkland to Woodinville, Cross Kirkland Corridor on Eastrail, Renton to Bellevue, VMAC to Gene Coulon (Renton)
Riders preparing for the Peace Peloton ride in Redmond this August
Connecting to Community on Eastrail
As part of our mission to make the Eastrail for everyone, every day, we supported events where we got to hear from community members, and created opportunities for new trail users to get out and explore the Eastrail:
We partnered with Peace Peloton for the second annual ride along the Eastrail, this year checking out the newest Eastrail Segments in Kirkland and Woodinville, while supporting black owned businesses on the Eastside.
We represented Eastrail at community events and street festivals in various Eastrail cities to share details about the trail and heard from current users and trail-curious folks about what they want to see from Eastrail in the future.
We hosted a series of Community Walks this Fall, where we encouraged folks to get out on the trail even in inclement weather, and solicited lots of great feedback. Read more about it here.
Celebrating Eastrail’s legislative champions in Woodinville
Continued Advocacy for Eastrail Funding
With still more sections to be completed, we continue to advocate for trail funding, and bring together both public and private funders to understand the importance of a fully connected Eastrail.
This year, we were excited to celebrate $29M in funding for Eastrail projects allocated by the State Legislature by leading our trail champions on a ride to the new section in Woodinville.
We closed the year out celebrating $3.6M for Eastrail projects included in the year-end federal omnibus spending package!
We also hosted a ride with Cascade Bicycle Club highlighting the importance of completing trail connections in Renton.
Looking ahead to 2023
In addition to celebrating new trail segments opening next year, we’re excited to host more community events, and create opportunities for public arts on the trail. Do you have ideas or suggestions for what we should focus on in 2023? Let us know!