East Lake Sammamish Trail Phase 2: Master Plan Trail King County and the Federal Highway Administration is close to completing the Environmental process for the Master Plan Trail in compliance with both the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The proposed Master Plan Trail will be a multi-use facility to accommodate use by pedestrians, non-motorized wheeled vehicles, and equestrians. The propsed Master Plan Trail will be located in the same general corridor as the Interim Use Trail. The basic features of the Master Plan Trail include:
- For most Build Alternatives, the proposed installation of permanent trail surfacing, including a combination of asphalt paving, soft surface for pedestrians/equestrians, and vegetated buffer;
- New restroom facilities, with drinking fountains, located at two locations along the corridor;
- New parking facilities at three locations along the trail corridor;
- Traffic control measures (signage) where the trail crosses private driveways or roadways;
- A stormwater management system to control runoff from the trail and parking areas;
- Retaining walls where needed to support slopes and reduce embankment areas;
- Improvements such as sidewalks and crosswalks at public access points;
- Litter receptacles, doggy litter bag boxes, and trail etiquette signs;
- Fencing to provide for trail user safety and identify and protect sensitive areas; and
- Bollards at trail crossings to prevent unauthorized vehicles from driving onto the trail.
The following five alternatives were evaluated in the Draft EIS for the Master Plan Trail:
- Corridor Alternative: The proposed Master Plan Trail would be located within the former railroad right of way. The majority of the trail would encompass the existing Interim Use Trail.
- East A Alternative: A Master Plan Trail would use the existing Interim Use Trail alignment in certain segments and transition to the roadway shoulder for driveway/public roadway intersections, along 1.7 miles of divided properties, to avoid sensitive areas, and in other locations. Where the alignment for the paved portion of the multi-use trail leaves the Interim Use Trail alignment, pedestrian and equestrian use would continue on the existing Interim Use Trail.
- East B Alternative: The East B Alternative would be identical to the East A Alternative except where the paved portion of trail transitions to the roadway shoulder, pedestrians and equestrians would also be routed to the shoulder. In these areas, the existing Interim Use Trail on the railbed would be closed and no trail access would be permitted on the railbed.
- Continuation of the Interim Use Trail Alternative: The existing Interim Use Trail would be continued beyond the currently approved 2015 expiration date. Equestrian use is not permitted on the existing Interim Use Trail, but would be considered as part of this alternative. The existing Interim Use Trail would also be extended at the northern terminus, across Bear Creek and connecting to the Bear Creek Trail.
- No Action Alternative: King County would continue to operate the existing Interim Use Trail through 2015, at which time the permitted operation of the trail would expire in the absence of additional environmental review and King County Council action.
The alignment of the Build Alternatives may be viewed at Master Plan Alignments.
The Draft EIS was published in October 2006. The Final EIS is expected to be published December of 2008. For additional information on the environmental review process, please see the following links:
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