Development of East Lake Sammamish Trail to go ahead

By JAKE LYNCH
Sammamish Reporter Editor
May 30 2010

An analysis of the environmental impacts resulting from a proposed development of the East Lake Sammamish Trail was released on Friday, the latest step in a lengthy process of building a master plan for the trail.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and King County announced the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the East Lake Sammamish Trail Master Plan, which will ultimately develop the existing 11-mile interim use trail on the east side of Lake Sammamish between the cities of Issaquah and Redmond into a permanent paved and soft-surfaced multi-use trail.

The trail will provide access to recreation, employment, and retail centers in the cities of Redmond, Sammamish, and Issaquah and complete a missing link in a 44-mile urban regional trail corridor that includes the Burke-Gilman Trail, the Sammamish River Trail and the Issaquah High Point Trail.

The final EIS compares the environmental impacts of five alternatives for the trail, one of which is to leave it how it is, and another requiring only a minor extension of the current interim trail. The other alternatives, known as the Corridor, East A, and East B alternatives, call for more significant construction, including asphalt paving, new restroom and parking facilities, and bollards at trail crossings.

According to the EIS, construction of a more developed trail would have adverse impacts of more than 1 acre of wetland, and the removal of vegetation along streambanks.

With the close proximity of Lake Sammamish, concerns have been raised about the impact of the development on water quality, during, and after, construction.

The project would increase the amount of impervious surface area along the trail corridor by more than 18 acres. However, according to the report’s authors, “with the application of best management practices, and stream and wetland mitigation, the build alternatives should not have major negative effects on aquatic resources, including streams, wetlands, or fish.”

While the impacts of the trail options are only now being released, some kind of construction along the trail is a done deal.

During a meeting with City of Sammamish officials on Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine said that construction of the Redmond end of the trail, heading south, would begin in 2011, dependent on funding.

The trail would stop just 300 feet north of the proposed Sammamish Landing Park. Councilor Mark Cross said it would be very helpful if the county could extend paving of the trail a little further south, to provide a connection between the Landing Park and Marymoor Park. Constantine replied that he would look into it.

The Final EIS for the Master Plan Trail is now available for public review at the Sammamish and Issaquah public libraries.

The document is also available at www.kingcounty.gov/eastlakesammamishtrail.

Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper copies may also be obtained by contacting King County Department of Executive Services at 206-296-1822.

The draft EIS for this project was issued for public review on October 20, 2006. In response to public comments on the draft EIS, revisions were made to the final EIS. The final EIS will be available for 30 days.

Sammamish Reporter Editor Jake Lynch can be reached at editor@sammamish-reporter.com.

Still gravel for now although it looks like they are starting on paving, beginning at the north end

So, it has been 3+ years since the last review.

Is it paved or Gravel?