East Lake Sammamish Trail: project history

Railroads operated along the East Lake Sammamish corridor from 1885 to 1996. In 1996, the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railwayd (BNSF) suspended railroad operations along the eastern shore of Lake Sammamish. In April 1997, the Cascade Land Conservancy purchased the active railroad corridor from BNSF. Also in 1997, King County and the Land Conservancy requested that the Surface Transportation Board grant interim trail use and railbanking status to this important corridor. Railbanking allows the development of inactive railroad corridors as recreational trails, so that such facilities are preserved for reestablishment of railroad use, should the need later arise. This corridor had been identified as an addition to the regional trail system as early as 1971.

The application to railbank the corridor was approved in August 1998 and a federal "Notice of Interim Trail Use" was issued. King County purchased the railbanked corridor from the Land Conservancy in September 1998 to develop it into the East Lake Sammamish Trail.

In 1999, King County held three community meetings to discuss trail planning and formed a Citizen Advisory Group (CAG). However, a number of important decisions for the long-term, permanent trail were not yet ready for evaluation, including final alignment of the trail, ultimate users of the trail, trail configuration and width, and trail amenities and support facilities. Because such final decisions are complex and require further public process and discussion to provide meaningful evaluations, the County is developing the East Lake Sammamish Trail in phases. The first phase was the Interim Use Trail; the next phase is the Master Plan Trail.

King County has also initiated a program of restorative maintenance along the East Lake Sammamish Trail corridor. In addition, County maintenance staff are often required to remove household waste, yard clippings, and construction debris left by others in ditches and elsewhere in the public right of way.

ELST Photos

Homes separated from waterfront areas by corridor	Representative view of railbed along west edge of properties
Representative view of railbed to east of properties	Representative view of railbed to east of properties