Cross Kirkland Corridor

Kirkland Municipal Code 19.40.020 CKC Trail Use 

Trail Use Rules, Safety, and Etiquette

• Pets must be on a leash and owners must pick up after their pets; mutt mitts and garbage cans are located at all crossings
• Stay to the right on the trail and do not block the path when stopped
• Horses and motorized vehicles are not allowed, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs and electric-assisted bicycles
• Respect the special needs of disabled trail users
• Respect private property by staying on the trail
• Trail is open for use between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• Cell phones and headphones can make it difficult to hear what’s going on around you; use them cautiously

Bicyclists

• Yield to pedestrians
• Pass on the left and give audible warning before passing
• Ride at a safe speed; speed limit is 15 miles per hour
• Slow down and form a single file where there is congestion, reduced visibility, or other hazardous conditions
• Wear lights and reflective devices for safety during low light hours

Pedestrians

• Listen for audible signals and allow faster trail users (runners and bicyclists) to pass safely
• Keep pets on a short leash and on the right side of the trail

CKC Bench Donation Program
The CKC Bench Donation Program provides an opportunity for the community to enhance the Cross Kirkland Corridor through a financial donation. It is a wonderful way to commemorate a loved one, to celebrate an event, or simply as a way to give back to the community. Donations can be made towards the purchase of a new bench or refurbishment of an existing bench.

View bench pricing information. To discuss a donation, contact Blair Daly, Cross Kirkland Corridor Coordinator, at 425-587-3924 or ckc@kirklandwa.gov. Thank you for your generosity and for considering the Cross Kirkland Corridor for your donation.

Volunteers help keep the Corridor looking its best
Volunteers have adopted quarter-mile segments of the Corridor and pledged to remove litter twice per year. They also have the option of doing a yearly invasive plants removal project in their section. All 23 segments are currently adopted. Adopters include Kirkland neighborhood associations, businesses, individuals, families and community service groups. Check out the Adopt-a-Trail Map(PDF, 1MB)  and read the Adoption FAQ(PDF, 252KB).

For more information about trail adoption, please contact the City's Volunteer Services Coordinator at 425-587-3013 or acampbell@kirklandwa.gov.

Amphitheater at Feriton Spur Park

To reserve the amphitheater, contact Dave Tomson of SRM Development at 425-629-4437 or dave@srmdevelopment.com.

The Eastside Rail Corridor (ERC) is 42 miles of former rail line that was first developed in 1904 as part of the Lake Washington Belt Line. This line extended from Renton to Snohomish and was initially used to haul coal and lumber. As farming expanded during the early to mid-1900s, trains began to haul agricultural products. Starting in the late 1900s, the rail line was used primarily by light industrial companies such as Boeing. From 1993 to 2007, the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train also used the tracks.

In the early 1990s, the Kirkland Park Board proposed a Cross Kirkland Trail parallel to the active rail line. Complications with the railroad company stalled that vision.

In late 2009, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway sold the rail line to the Port of Seattle, and the Eastside Rail Corridor came into public ownership. Becoming ever more a reality, the vision for a trail and future transit corridor came into focus following the City’s Transportation Commission collaboration with stakeholders which resulted in an Eastside Rail Corridor Interest Statement(PDF, 265KB). The Statement set goals for future development of the Corridor.

In late 2011, Kirkland negotiated an extremely favorable price of $5 million to purchase a 5.75-mile section of the corridor. The deal closed on April 13, 2012. Sound Transit and other utilities retain easements along the rail-banked portion of the ERC prior to the City’s purchase of their segment.

In June 2014, the City Council adopted the Cross Kirkland Corridor Master Plan.

The City contracted with A & K Railroad Materials to remove and salvage the rails and ties on the Corridor, making way for construction of the interim trail. Rail salvage began at the end of August 2013 and was complete at the end of October 2013.

On June 3, 2014, the City Council awarded the interim trail construction bid to Rodarte Construction, Inc., of Auburn, WA, in the amount of $2,099,175.

Quarter mile markers were installed along the Corridor in March 2014.

The opportunity to purchase Kirkland’s segment of the Eastside Rail Corridor emerged after the Port of Seattle purchased the Eastside Rail Corridor from Burlington Northern in late 2009. By April 2012, the Kirkland City Council purchased Kirkland’s 5.75 mile, $5 million segment from the Port of Seattle using the following resources:

• Repurposed Capital Improvement Program Park Projects—$1,500,000.
• Repurposed Capital Improvement Program Transportation Projects—$1,000,000.
• Real Estate Excise Tax Reserves—$1,000,000.
• Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program—$500,000.
• Surface Water Utility—$1,000,000.
• King County Park levy—$211,000.

In 2012, Kirkland citizens approved a Parks Levy that funded a portion of the interim trail construction, the community Master Plan, and $100,000 per year toward ongoing maintenance of the Corridor. Funding for the construction of the interim trail came from $2.4 million dollars of Federal and State grants and $700 thousand dollars from Real Estate Excise Tax, the Park Levy, and a credit from the rail salvage.