The disused railway lines along the eastern side of Lake Washington are progressively becoming trails for the local community. One section of track that runs through the middle of Kirkland is know as the Cross Kirkland Connector. This will run up towards Woodinville in due course. The northern end of the trail for a long time was Totem Lake when the trail came to 124th St. This is a busy road and crossing it was not a simple process. As part of the development of the trails, a bridge has been under construction for a while now and it recently was opened to the public.
This bridge is a short distance from my office, and it would provide a useful potential connection if I was to start cycling to work again. I walked down to the bridge one lunchtime to see how it looked. The styling of the structure over the road is quite flowing and I had driven underneath at various times in construction, so I was familiar with the general shape. To get down to the street level, a circular ramp is on the north side, and this loops around near the lake and marshlands.
There are some overlook areas built out from the ramp to encourage people to linger a little. A few bikes and pedestrians passed over in the short time I was there so I hope there will be a good amount of traffic to justify the investment. When all of the trails are complete, it will be possible to ride from Renton to the Skagit County line without needing to use the road.
