Earlier this week, the City of Redmond broke ground on the next segment of the Redmond Central Connector (RCC) trail.

David Shaw, senior park planner for the city, said construction on the project began Monday and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The trail is anticipated to open at the beginning of 2017.

The segment being constructed is Phase II of the three-phase project and will be 1.3 miles of paved trail on a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail bed. The new trail will run parallel to Willows Road from the Sammamish River trestle to the 9900 block of Willows Road. Users will be able to connect to businesses and retail establishments along that street. The trail will also connect to the PSE trail. The Phase II segment will eventually connect to the Cross Kirkland Trail and become part of the Eastside Rail Corridor.

The City of Redmond purchased the old railroad bed in 2010. The trail has been open for public use since that time but is now closed while the new trail is being constructed. Other than that, Shaw said vehicular access will remain open and the sidewalk on Willows Road should also not be affected.

Shaw said Phase II of the trail will be at least 12 feet wide throughout to allow pedestrian and bicycle traffic and wider as it approaches intersections. In addition, the trail will have other indicators for users to discern when they are approaching a road crossing such as a transition from asphalt to concrete and different-colored concrete patterns, Shaw said.

And just like Phase I of the RCC downtown, he said Phase II will have art all along the trail.

“The design itself is inspired by art,” Shaw said.

Some of the art includes ribbons of colored concrete as well as art on the concrete panels themselves. Shaw said they will have integrated art by Sidecar Collective, which will use “rain paint” to create designs that will appear when the concrete is wet, encouraging people to use the trail regardless of the weather and providing a unique experience any time of year.

Shaw said once the entire RCC is complete, it will total four miles. Phase III of the project will run from the 9900 block of Willows Road to Northeast 124th Street. He said as of right now, there has been no funding assigned to Phase III and a timeline for this section has not yet been scheduled.

“It remains a top priority for us,” Shaw said.

He said Phase I of the RCC cost about $5 million for design and construction and Phase II will cost about $6.4 million for design and construction.

The Phase II project includes a retrofit and a new modern deck for the old railroad trestle that spans across the Sammamish River. Pedestrians and bicycles will be able to use the trestle and have views of the river below. The city is also working with a group of local experts to design interpretive art integrated into panels on the bridge structure.

Continuation of design elements used in Phase I of the project that runs through downtown Redmond include landscaping, seating areas next to the trail and green construction including sections of permeable pavement.

For questions and more information, contact Shaw at dashaw@redmond.gov or (425) 556-2378.