East Lake Sammamish Trail plans take next step

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and King County will announce the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the East Lake Sammamish Master Plan Trail Friday, May 28.

The Master Plan Trail 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. Construction of the two-mile segment in Redmond is expected to begin in late November or early December.

On Friday, FHWA and King County will issue the Notice of Availability (NOA) that the Final EIS for the Master Plan Trail is available for public review. The draft EIS for this project was issued for public review on October 20, 2006. In response to public comments on the draft EIS, minor revisions were made to the final EIS. The final EIS will be available for 30 days following publication of the NOA in the Federal Register.  The FHWA will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a minimum of 30 days following publication of the NOA.

As the local lead agency for the proposed project, King County prepared a final EIS in conjunction with the lead federal agency, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Washington State Department of Transportation, in order to meet the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act and Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act. The purpose of the Final EIS is to evaluate the potential impacts of five project alternatives that were identified as a result of the initial EIS scoping and alternatives selection process.  This information has been used, in conjunction with public and agency comments received during the draft EIS comment period, to assist the lead agencies in selecting a preferred alternative.

The final EIS outlines each of the alternatives’ impacts and benefits to a number of environmental considerations, including: earth, surface water and water quality, wetlands, vegetation and wildlife, fish resources, land use and shorelines, recreation, socioeconomic resources, visual quality, public services and utilities, transportation, noise, and historic, cultural, and archaeological resources.

Copies of the final EIS and Technical Appendices are available for review at:

• King County Facilities Management Division, King County Administration Building, Room 320, 500 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98104.
• Seattle Public Library – 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA.
• Bellevue Public Library – 1111-110th Avenue, Bellevue, WA.
• Redmond Public Library – 15990 NE 85th Street, Redmond, WA.
• Sammamish Public Library – 825-228th Avenue NE, Sammamish, WA.
• Issaquah Public Library – 10 West Sunset Way, Issaquah, WA.

The Notice of Availability and final EIS document is also available on the project website: 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.

For more information, contact Pete Jilek, Urban Area Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 711 South Capital Way, Suite 501, Olympia, WA  98501, 360-753-9550, or Gina Auld, Capital Project Manager, King County Facilities Management Division, 201 South Jackson Street, Suite 700, Seattle, WA  98104, 206-263-7281.

Related information

East Lake Sammamish Trail

King County Parks