WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) secured $1,680,000 as part of the INVEST in America Act for the Eastrail Wilburton Critical Crossing in King County.
“Our growing regional trail network benefits people, the economy, and our environment,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “I want to thank Congressman Smith for supporting this north-south regional trail from Renton through Bellevue’s Wilburton neighborhood, including connections to Sound Transit light rail, as well as investments in Eastrail – the 42-mile corridor that links Renton with Woodinville.”
The Eastrail Wilburton Critical Crossing Project will develop a high-quality signalized crossing at a complex road crossing. The includes a new traffic signal to allow safe crossing of SE 1st Street in Bellevue. This crossing is a missing link that would connect already-funded segments of trail to the north and south and is anticipated to support public use rivaling that of any other trail segment in the regional trail system. Once complete, this project would allow connection of the last gap in a continuous 12-mile section of the Eastrail trail—an uninterrupted 42-mile trail that will connect the eastside communities of Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville, Snohomish, and Redmond. The Eastrail trail is anticipated, once fully connected, to become the most heavily used trail in the regional trail system.
Eastrail is a critical piece of the Puget Sound region's transportation strategy to increase multi-model options to help manage congestion and growth. This project is located in the Wilburton Area, a key area for redevelopment and growth near the City of Bellevue's downtown core, hospital district, light rail line, and the Bel-Red Corridor (a two-mile-long series of compact, mixed-use transit-accessible neighborhoods currently being developed). In addition to providing expanded options for recreation and commuting, the trail segment also connects to two Sound Transit light rail stations—the Wilburton Station and East Main Station in Bellevue—as well as the South Kirkland Park and Ride, offering convenient options for multi-modal transportation across the region.
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