King County ready to lengthen Soos Creek Trail

King County's nationally acclaimed regional trail system is about to have a growth spurt. Work crews have begun construction on three-quarters of a mile addition to the Soos Creek Trail in Kent.

It's no ordinary stretch of trail. Much of the new length will run along the edge of sensitive wetlands, and must be carefully constructed to avoid damage.

"Roughly half of the new length of trail will be built with elevated decking atop steel pilings to preserve the wetlands, which are part of the Soos Creek watershed," said John McCarthy, King County Parks project manager. The project's general contractor is Pacific Crest Construction of Lynnwood.

"Our construction zone is only about 20 feet wide in some places, and the trail is 12 feet wide, so we'll have an extremely limited footprint alongside these sensitive areas," McCarthy said. "I think trail users will be very pleased by the final result, which will be a great surface for walkers, joggers and cyclists through a beautiful area."

McCarthy said construction vehicles will access the worksite by Southeast 198th Place, and area residents could expect to see an intermittent increase in the number of vehicles on local roads during the project's regular weekday schedule. Because construction is taking place near wetlands that could be affected by runoff from late-summer rainstorms, the project must be completed by Sept. 30.

When completed, the Soos Creek Trail will run from its present northern terminus at Gary Grant Park on Southeast 208th Street in Kent, to the Cedar River Trail in Maple Valley.

More information on the Soos Creek Trail and King County's regional trail system is available at http://www.metrokc.gov/Parks/Trails/sooscreek.html on the Internet.

King County Parks looks after "Your Big Backyard" – more than 25,000 acres of parks and natural lands, including such regional treasures as Marymoor Park and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, 175 miles of regional trails, plus pools and a world-class aquatic center. By cultivating strong relationships with non-profit, corporate and community partners, King County Parks enhances park amenities while reducing costs.