Land, easements sought along old Eastside rail line

King County, Redmond and a utility consortium are prepared to pay more than $43 million to buy land or easements along an abandoned Eastside rail line they hope to give new life as a rail and trail route in the future.

The Redmond City Council, eager to gain control of a corridor that has long split its utility system and downtown roads, last week authorized Mayor John Marchione to negotiate purchase of a 3 ½-mile segment for up to $9 million.

Redmond's acquisition, running from the southeastern to the northwestern boundaries of the city, could become a trail connecting with King County's existing East Lake Sammamish Trail and a trail the county wants to build eventually to reach Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue and Renton.

Two utilities also are negotiating deals worth millions more to help the Port of Seattle buy the 42-mile Renton-to-Snohomish rail corridor from BNSF Railway as early as next week. King County would not buy portions of the corridor between Woodinville and Snohomish.

After the Port agreed last year to buy the line for $107 million, credit markets went into crisis, and the Port this fall assembled a group of partners to help it finance the deal. Agreements with those government and utility partners are beginning to come into focus.

After repeated delays, the Port's purchase of the rail corridor is scheduled to close next Tuesday, but could be extended to close later this month. After acquiring the rail line, the Port would sell the southern portion to King County and other buyers.

The Port would own and continue providing freight rail service on the segment between Woodinville and Snohomish.

Among the emerging deals:

• The Metropolitan King County Council is reviewing a request by Executive Dow Constantine for $26.5 million to buy most of the corridor south of Woodinville.

• The Cascade Water Alliance is negotiating to buy an easement, possibly for around $8 million, that would eventually allow it to bring water from Lake Tapps to homes in Bellevue, Kirkland and other Eastside cities, alliance spokeswoman Elaine Kraft said Monday.

• Puget Sound Energy wants to obtain permanent easements for more than 180 existing crossings of the rail corridor by natural-gas and electric lines and for future easements, said Sue McLain, the company's vice president of operations. She declined to discuss the price.

• Sound Transit is considering buying rights to use parts of the old rail line in Bellevue for its Eastside light-rail extension and the right to operate commuter trains on a longer segment sometime in the future, spokesman Geoff Patrick said.

Redmond Parks and Recreation Director Craig Larsen said acquiring the BNSF line has been a high city priority not only because the corridor offers rail and trail potential but also because some roads and sewer and water lines do not cross the corridor.

When Redmond gains control of the rail corridor, he said, it will be able to knit together its utilities and roads, starting with an extension of 161st Avenue Northeast.

"It's the key for us becoming an urban center in the way that growth management envisioned it. It's to help us build the downtown that we've long planned. It's a real critical piece for that," Larsen said.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com