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Advocacy Issues
BNSF Corridor Acquisition Complete
Questions remain about the future of a bicycle facility
Updated May 13, 2008
On Monday May 12 the Port of Seattle held a signing ceremony at the Wilburton Trestle in Bellevue to seal the $107 million deal between the Port and BNSF to purchase the Eastside BNSF corridor. Their signatures closed the first and most important chapter for the 42 mile corridor between Renton and Snohomish -- that being getting it into public hands.
Thank you to the more than 1,370 people who took action by contacting the Port and the County about the corridor. In the coming weeks, we'll call on you to help us launch the next phase of our campaign to ensure nonmotorized transportation within the abandoned right of way.
The Cascade Bicycle Club is currently analyzing the terms of the agreement between King County and the Port of Seattle, While we applaud the Port of Seattle for bringing the BNSF corridor into public ownership, it is critical that we take full advantage of this opportunity by making nonmotorized transportation a top priority. Based on our legal analysis of the easement signed by King County and the Port, we are not yet convinced that the future of nonmotorized transportation is secure along this corridor.
Here are a few of the upcoming corridor development milestones:
Fall 2008: Approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board to railbank the corridor
Fall/Winter 2008: A public process, administered by King County and the Port, to determine the best use for the corridor
Feburary 2009: Results of State Legislature's rail feasibility study released
Resources
- Milepost 5, the southern-most end at the north end of Gene Coulon Park.
- Milepost 11, roughly the site of the Wilburton Tunnel at I-405.
- Milepost 17, Kirkland
- Winery District = where the line passes by the concert lawn at the St. Michelle Winery
- Milepost 25, in Woodinville, roughly where the northern end of an interim trail would start/end.
- Milepost 39, the northern most end of this line acquisition in Snohomish County (located at Harvey Airfield in the City of Snohomish)
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