Big trail connections are coming, with your help

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If approved, the King County Parks Levy will help realize a connected network of regional trails. Council takes up the current proposal this month.

As King County looks to renew its six year levy for parks, trails and open space, people who bike, walk, and roll on regional trails can expect great things from the regional trails package. As Metropolitan King County Council takes up the current proposal this month, they will decide whether voters see the levy on the August 2019 ballot.

Funds from the 2020-2025 King County Parks, Trails, and Open Space Replacement Levy would connect hugely popular trails like the Eastside Rail Corridor, Lake to Sound Trail, and Green River Trail. With your help, these plans will become a reality.

Tell King County that trails matter to you, and you support putting the levy on the ballot. Click here to act now.

Access to regional trails like the Burke-Gilman Trail, Snoqualmie Valley Trail or Green River Trail adds to the quality of life here in King County. Whether you enjoy trails to exercise, build community, commute to work or school, or pick up transit connections, growing the trail network gives us a chance to invest in access for the next generation.

We are particularly excited for the levy’s emphasis on three key areas:

  • Key investments along the Eastside Rail Corridor (ERC) will create nearly end-to-end connectivity along 42 miles of trails on King County’s eastside. If the levy is approved, we’ll be most of the way towards connecting five large (and growing) eastside cities via a world class active transportation and recreation corridor. Connecting the ERC will ease congestion, improve public health, catalyze local economic investment, and connect people to jobs.
  • This levy makes timely investments in historically underserved areas of King County by completing important projects including the Green River Trail Extension to the Duwamish Trail and the connection between the Cedar River Trail and Lake to Sound Trail.
  • The growing Community Partnerships and Grants Program enables community groups from across the county to engage meaningfully in trail planning and design. By addressing equity, we’re excited to see how this program will help realize King County’s Race and Social Justice Initiative.

The trails proposal for the levy is smart, and will improve lives. By 2025, kids in Tukwila will be able to bike safely to school along the Green River Trail extension. People from across the county can hop off the bus or light rail to walk, bike or roll the “last mile” along the Eastside Rail Corridor to access jobs at Eastside employment hubs.

Will you be part of the movement to connect our regional trails network? Email King County Councilmembers to let them know you want to see robust and timely investment in our regional trails in the 2020-2025 Parks Levy.

Click here to act now.

Want to do more for regional trails? Testify at upcoming council meetings in support of the levy’s investment in regional trails. The levy will be considered at King County Council's Regional Policy Committee on March 13, with opportunity for public comment at the beginning of session:

Or, sign up for updates on regional trails. We’ll keep you in the loop as the levy progresses to the ballot, and share updates about the growing network of regional trails.

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