Executive Dow Constantine recently led the groundbreaking ceremony for a new segment of King County’s Lake to Sound Trail, an emerging 16-mile paved path that will extend from Lake Washington to Puget Sound as well as link to four other regional trails.
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Once completed, the multi-use trail will connect five South King County Cities – Renton, Tukwila, Burien, SeaTac, and Des Moines – and Sound Transit’s Tukwila International Boulevard Station. It also will link to Eastside Rail Corridor Trail, Cedar River Trail, Interurban Trail, and Green River Trail.
“The work we begin today gets us closer to achieving our long-term goal: Building a 16-mile paved trail that connects five South King County cities from Lake Washington to Puget Sound,” said Executive Constantine. “Trails connect people and communities. They change the way we experience the places where we live, work, and play. That is why I made improving and completing our regional trail system a priority of my administration.”
The new 1.3-mile segment – funded in part by the 2014-2019 King County Parks Levy – will be completed by the end of the year. If voters renew the Parks Levy on Aug. 6, King County Parks will be able to complete the remaining segments and create a continuous paved pathway connecting communities that have historically been underserved.
King County Parks in 2017 opened a 1.5-mile segment of the Lake to Sound Trail that connected Normandy Park, Burien, and Tukwila. That segment connected to Sound Transit’s Link light rail station in Tukwila along street-side bike lines and better connected South King County communities to employment and recreational opportunities. It was largely funded by the King County Parks Levy.
Adhering to King County Parks’ regional trail standards, the new segment will be a paved 12-foot-wide trail with 2-foot-wide soft surface shoulders and 1-foot-wide clear zones on each side. The construction will also include a trail bridge over the Black River, a pedestrian-activated traffic control signal at the intersection with Monster Road, native landscaping, and informational and wayfinding signs.
“Urban trails provide a crucial opportunity for outdoor recreation in communities that lack access to traditional open space,” said King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, whose district includes all five cities the trail will pass through. “Health disparities across my district are higher than in any other part of the county. South King County residents deserve better and will greatly benefit from the completion of this trail.”
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