King County seeks public comment on permanent East Lake Sammamish Trail

King County will host a public hearing Nov. 9 in Bellevue to take public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the permanent East Lake Sammamish Trail. The public hearing is set for 5 to 8 p.m. in Auditorium N-201 at Bellevue Community College, 3000 Landerholm Circle SE in Bellevue.

The interim trail, which was dedicated in March, is 10.6 miles long and connects the cities of Redmond, Sammamish and Issaquah. The trail surface is constructed of compacted gravel atop the existing rail bed and is not appropriate for thin tired road bikes, inline skates and most wheelchairs.

The DEIS details a number of permanent trail development options, ranging from a fully paved trail to a “no action” alternative that would retain the current interim trail until 2015 when the trail could be closed. This range of alternatives reflects public input provided over the past seven years through neighborhood workshops, public meetings and the Citizens Advisory Group.

The preferred alternative proposal calls for a fully paved 12-foot-wide trail with a separated soft-surface strip or wider soft-surface shoulder for pedestrian and equestrian use where possible. The trail would be located primarily on the railbanked corridor that is already owned by King County.

Copies of the DEIS are available for review at the Seattle Public Library main branch in downtown Seattle, plus the Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish and Issaquah public libraries. The DEIS can also be viewed online at http://metrokc.gov/eastlakesammamishtrail.

Oral public comment at the hearing will be limited to two minutes per speaker. Public comment can also be provided in writing at the hearing, submitted via e-mail at fmd.sepacomments@kingcounty.gov, or mailed to Gina Auld, project manager, King County Facilities Management Division, King Street Center, 201 South Jackson St., Suite 700, Seattle, WA, 98104. Comments will be accepted through Dec. 19, and will be addressed as part of the final EIS report.