RiverWalk a burst of nature in Redmond

While Redmond is known internationally for computer software, there's another reason to visit the city on a pleasant summer day.

It's called RiverWalk, a project that took more than a decade and wended a political path nearly as twisty as the waterway itself.

Today, hundreds of people use the 1.3-mile trail daily to walk, run and bike.

"There're always people out here," said Jerry Martin, who works at Rena Ware — a cookware company, not a software company, along the Sammamish River. He estimates 10 to 15 employees at the company use the path daily.

"We get our breaks, we come out here," Martin said. "We walk as far as we want. It's a great trail."

Stretching between Leary Way, near Redmond Town Center, on the south, and Northeast 90th Street on the north, the RiverWalk contains a mix of amenities visible to those who choose to slow down a bit.

Some of the most striking sights are north of Redmond Way, where much of the river has been restored to its natural pathway, with an island, curves and logs placed in the riverbed to improve salmon spawning. Swooping herons and ducks and otters are commonly visible in the area, only a few feet from some of the busiest streets in the city.

Bringing a vision to life

Incorporated in 1912, Redmond was originally a logging and railroad community along the Sammamish River, which was then a curvy waterway from Lake Sammamish to Bothell and Lake Washington.

The river routinely flooded, and in the 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers began channelization work that straightened the river and largely turned it into a ditch.

That work curtailed flooding, but it also changed the route into something far from scenic: a boulder-lined, arrow-straight waterway of often-stagnant water. By 1991, the eyesore had become a political issue.

"It was part of my campaign," said former Mayor Rosemarie Ives, recalling when she first ran for office. Ives opposed a downtown shopping mall and wanted to promote other community amenities. She seized on the concept of making maximum use of the city's riverside location.

"We've got this river that was ditched by the Army Corps of Engineers, and it should be capitalized on," she said of her vision.

"Then it built momentum," she added, and it eventually resulted in the RiverWalk master plan, adopted by the City Council in October 1997. The plan called for a community effort to rediscover the character of the river.

The changes didn't always go smoothly. By 2000, some City Council members were reconsidering and saying RiverWalk was too big and cost too much. The project eventually cost $10 million, according to city records.

But Ives, who served as mayor for 16 years, persisted, and work continued.

"It came to fruition," she said. "It's stunning. It's my vision and my legacy."

Parts of the path have opened at various times over the past 10 years, some this year. But there's still work to be done, and Craig Larsen, Redmond parks director, says a decade of construction remains.

Part of the community

The RiverWalk is accessible from several locations along its route, including the Redmond Municipal Campus along Northeast 85th Street, and many office developments. It's possible to walk from the pathway to many urban attractions, such as stores and restaurants, including Redmond Town Center, a major shopping center, at its southern edge.

The RiverWalk will be a key part of the 68th annual Redmond Derby Days next weekend, with thousands of people in the city for the nation's longest-running bicycle race.

"We've got this wonderful greenwater connection," Ives said. "I'm just so tickled."

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.