A cracked portion of Sammamish River Trail just north of Marymoor Park in Redmond needs to be replaced, and King County is closing that stretch of the trail May 3-14 as part of the trail replacement project.

The trail, which runs along the river from Marymoor Park to Bothell, will be closed to all access between Leary Way and Northeast Marymoor Way near the park’s west entry, as crews rebuild the cracked, 200-foot-section of the trail, including repaving.

“The trail is settling toward the river,” said King County project manager Chris Erickson. “We feel the crack has become a safety hazard, that is why we are replacing it.”

Erickson called the project “preventative maintenance,” adding that the trail could re-open before May 14.

There is no viable detour route, so trail users who commonly use Marymoor Park for parking will need to use alternative access. Trail users can access the Sammamish River Trail north of Leary Way Northeast via Redmond’s Bear Creek Trail, which runs alongside the Redmond Town Center.

The Sammamish River Trail can also be accessed at other points along the Sammamish River in the Redmond and Woodinville area, including Sixty Acres Park at Northeast 116th Street near Woodinville-Redmond Road Northeast.

During the replacement project, there will be no direct trail access from the East Lake Sammamish Trail via the Marymoor Connector Trail through Marymoor Park, Erickson said.

The project’s construction cost is estimated to be $45,000, according to Erickson.

“The project is supported by the King County Parks Capital Fund with Real Estate Excise Taxes (REET) as the funding source,” Erickson said.

One of King County’s most popular trails, the Sammamish River Trail runs 10.9 miles along the Sammamish River from Bothell to Marymoor Park in Redmond as part of the “Locks to Lakes Corridor.”

More information on King County’s regional trail system is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/regionaltrailssystem.aspx.