The Eastrail is being developed as an uninterrupted, 42-mile multi-use trail extending from Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, north through Bellevue, to Woodinville and the city of Snohomish in Snohomish County. An Eastrail spur line extends from Woodinville south through the Snohomish River valley to Redmond (where the trail is known as the Redmond Central Connector).
King County Parks is the lead agency for developing parts of the Eastrail, including the seven-mile section that runs through Bellevue. In the north part of Bellevue, 2.3 miles of the Eastrail is open from NE 4th Street to the city limit with Kirkland as an interim, gravel trail for people walking, bicycling and rolling. In the south part of Bellevue, 2.4 miles of paved trail is open from Coal Creek Parkway to Ripley Lane in Renton. In between, a two-year project started in May 2024 to convert the historic Wilburton Trestle to trail use. In mid-2026 the trail is expected to open from NE 4th Street southward, across the trestle and across I-405 to a trail access point at 1900 118th Avenue SE, near the city’s Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. Funding is still being pursued to complete the final 1.7-mile trail segment in Bellevue, between the 1900 118th Avenue SE trailhead and Coal Creek Parkway, including rehabilitation of the steel trestle over I-90. For the interim, people traveling through this area will need to use the bike lanes and pedestrian facilities on the adjacent 118th Avenue SE.
The King County project webpage has more information about the entire project and offers the option to sign up to receive trail updates. The Eastrail Partners website has the most comprehensive information, including an interactive map showing completed segments, trail surfacing, access points, and amenities.
Bellevue's role
Since 2017, Bellevue has participated as a member of the Eastrail Regional Advisory Council, which is forum for planning and coordinating development and operation of the Eastrail among the corridor owners and jurisdictions. Other members include King County, Snohomish County, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Woodinville, Sound Transit and Puget Sound Energy.
The city is working to advance the trail by coordinating closely with King County on design and implementation and by developing key trail crossings and connecting links. In 2023, the city and county completed a plan for how the development in the Wilburton Transit-Oriented Development Area can connect to and integrate with the Eastrail trail and the 100-foot wide Eastrail corridor. The Eastrail Wilburton Framework Plan identifies areas where the corridor may support amenities in addition to the trail and establishes a vision and the supporting elements to ensure the new development will effectively connect with the corridor and people will be able to use the trail along the corridor to easily access adjacent buildings.
In 2025, work is expected to start on a city project to connect the Eastrail to NE 12th Street. Once complete, this connection will provide an efficient way for Eastrail users to access Downtown to the west and the Spring District to the east, via the existing east-west path along the north side of NE 12th Street and Spring Blvd. In 2026, work is expected to start on a city project to connect the Eastrail to the Mountains to Sound/I-90 Trail. The connection will involve pedestrian and bicycle facility improvements along two city streets: SE 32nd Street and 118th Avenue SE.
The city is also working on developing a conceptual design for the Grand Connection I-405 Crossing, which will originate at Bellevue City Hall Plaza, extend over I-405 and terminate at the Eastrail. The Grand Connection crossing is envisioned as an iconic structure that provides an efficient route and high-quality experience for people traveling on foot and by bicycle between Downtown and central Wilburton.
History and ownership
The Eastrail corridor was previously owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. Active freight rail service on the Eastrail south of Woodinville ended in 2008. King County owns 16 miles of the corridor, including most of the corridor in Bellevue, and holds a continuous trail easement along segments that are owned by others. Sound Transit owns a 1.1-mile segment of the corridor in Bellevue near the Spring District and holds an easement for transit along other segments. Puget Sound Energy also holds an easement for utilities along the corridor. Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, and Snohomish County own corridor segments north of Bellevue. The corridor is “rail-banked,” which means that it must be preserved as a continuous route and there is the potential for reactivation of the corridor for freight rail under certain circumstances.
More information
- Eastrail Update Meeting – Newport Shores and Greenwich Crest – Oct 24, 2024
- Eastrail to NE 12th Street Trail Connection
- Bridging the trail gap over I-405
- Wilburton Trestle
- Eastrail Wilburton Framework Plan
- I-90 Crossing RAISE grant application (successful, news release here).
- Grand Connection
- Leafline trails network