From new transit connections to community murals to thousands biking, walking, and rolling, 2024 was another year of connections on the Eastrail. Here are a few of the highlights from this year, and some of the things we’re looking forward to in 2025:

Light Rail Opens in Bellevue

In April, Sound Transit opened a section of its 2 Line in Bellevue, bringing light rail to the Eastside for the first time ever. At Wilburton Station, light rail links directly to the Eastrail, creating new multi-modal options for traffic-weary commuters. Despite a rainy-day opening, dozens of cyclists joined a group ride from Kirkland to be among the first Eastrail users connecting to the new light rail line!

NE 8th Bridge and Mural Opens

The long-anticipated Eastrail bridge spanning a busy Bellevue arterial opened to much fanfare in June, bringing us one step closer to closing the gap between the northern and southern sections of Eastrail in King County. Eastrail Partners was excited to lead a group ride to the opening event, which also unveiled a powerful art installation honoring the history of the Japanese American community in Bellevue.

Community Performance and Art

For the second year, Eastrail Partners brought a series of free musical performances to the trail in Kirkland, partnering with community to bring youth performers, African Drumming, Multilingual R&B, and more to users directly on the trail.

Building off our work in 2023, we also led an inclusive call to bring a new mural to the trail in Wilburton. After a community-driven process, artist Nikita Ares was selected and brought her unique design to the trail in Bellevue.

Closing the Eastrail Gap

King County Parks began construction of the long-anticipated Wilburton Trestle this May, with last-in project funding from Amazon. After it opens in 2026, the trestle will connect to the existing 405 crossing to bring the trail all the way to the Mercer Slough, just 2 miles away from the current southern section of Eastrail near Factoria.

The final missing piece in Bellevue that will close the gap over I-90 also hit a major milestone as it received a Federal RAISE grant for $25 million, allowing King County to continue design work toward an anticipated opening in 2031.

Northern Connections Clear Major Hurdles

The City of Woodinville also received a $5M RAISE grant toward design work for their section of trail that will cut through the heart of its growing downtown with a linear park stretching all the way to the County line. And in Snohomish County, an important legal finding means that they are one step closer to connecting the Eastrail in King County to the existing Centennial Trail in the town of Snohomish.

Redmond Connections coming in 2025

As we look ahead to another year of progress on the Eastrail, all eyes are on Redmond. In the spring, Sound Transit will open two new stations, including a direct connection to the Redmond Central Connector of Eastrail. Later in 2025, the final segement of that trail will connect to the existing Eastrail in Kirkland, opening many miles of new connections for both trail and transit users throughout the Eastside.

Support the Eastrail

As the nonprofit organization working to make the Eastrail for everyone, every day, donating to our organization is the most direct way to support this incredible trail. Please consider supporting our mission by donating today.