King County has closed the Cross Kirkland Corridor between Northeast 52nd Street and 108th Avenue Northeast since September 8, 2026. The full closure is scheduled to last three months. The County's October 7 update says the work will finish "by the winter." It has not published a reopening date, so counting forward from September 8 gives early December as a rough estimate, not a promise. For now the corridor works mainly as a northbound trail. Its useful end is Totem Lake, which has had a direct link into the regional trail network for a year.
What's happening under the gravel
The trail runs over the Eastside Interceptor Section 14, a 7-foot sewer pipe owned by King County. On a dry-weather day it carries about 2.6 million gallons of wastewater to the County's South Treatment Plant in Renton, according to the King County project page. In July 2025, County and City of Kirkland crews found a leak from that pipe running into a culvert. The County worked with Public Health – Seattle & King County, and no public health risk was identified.
The pipe was fixed in February. This fall's work is on the culvert under it. Crews are repairing the culvert, building a retaining wall to hold the slope, and stabilizing the stream nearby. The County calls the work extensive and says the closed section isn't safe for pedestrians.
The south end has been closed on and off for a year. The County's bulletin archive shows the sequence:
- October 15, 2025: Joint rehabilitation on the ESI 14 pipe gets underway.
- December 11, 2025: The trail temporarily reopens.
- Late December 2025: A notice says the trail will close again as early as Monday, January 5.
- January 13, 2026: Wastewater is diverted to a temporary above-ground pipe.
- February 13, 2026: Pipe repair is complete, and the bulletin says the trail will reopen soon.
- March 18, 2026: Notice of a closure near Northeast 52nd Street on Tuesday, March 24.
- August 25, 2026: Notice of the three-month closure starting September 8.
- October 7, 2026: Update confirming culvert work is underway.
The February repair also added a 3,000-foot temporary diversion pipe above ground. The County says it will stay on the west side of the trail to support the culvert work, then be removed when the site is restored.
What the work sounds like from the neighboring blocks
If you live near the work zone, the County's list of what to expect is the most practical part of its notices:
| What | When or how |
|---|---|
| Construction hours | Weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Equipment | Heavy machinery on the trail itself |
| Lighting | 24-hour lights for the diversion pumps |
| Noise | Construction noise during permitted hours, plus a generator powering the pumps |
| Odors | Possible at diversion sites |
| Sewer service | Expected to stay reliable throughout |
Weekend work isn't on that list. The pumps and generator still run around the clock.
The detour exists, but only as a map
Both County bulletins say a detour is available and tell trail users to follow the signs. Neither bulletin describes the route in writing. The route appears only as a map image in the October 7 bulletin. If you usually ride the south end, open that map before you leave the house. The signs on the ground are the other guide.
The City of Kirkland's closure page for this project still says the section reopened after the pipe repairs. King County's October 7 update says the section is closed, and that is the newer notice. The City's main closures page also sends users to King County's project page for detour details.
Why heading north is the better trip anyway
The closure matters less than it would have a few years ago because of what's beyond each end of the corridor.
To the south, the next stretch of Eastrail toward Bellevue isn't finished. King County expects the Wilburton Trestle to open in mid-2027 and the Central Wilburton interim segment sometime in 2027. It expects the I-90 bridge segment in 2031. When the south end reopens, it will lead to the South Kirkland Park & Ride, where the City's description of the corridor begins. A long ride south past that point is still a future plan.
To the north, the network is already connected. Eastrail Partners reported that the final 1.6 miles of the Redmond Central Connector opened with a ribbon-cutting on September 12, 2025. The connector links downtown Redmond to Kirkland and Woodinville at 124th, and it ties into the Bear Creek Trail Bridge and the East Lake Sammamish Trail. Eastrail Partners says you can now ride from Issaquah to Woodinville on continuous, separated trail, and the segment added trail connections at the Redmond Downtown and Marymoor Village light rail stations.
That gives the Totem Lake end of the corridor somewhere to go. The southern end mostly just connects back into Kirkland. For the next couple of months, the Totem Lake end is the natural place to start a long fall ride.
A Tuesday or Thursday run that starts at The Village
The Village at Totem Lake already uses the corridor this way. Its event page lists the Totem Lake Run Club, which meets in front of lululemon at 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday for a warm-up. The group runs on the Cross Kirkland Corridor and finishes near Salt & Straw. With 6 p.m. getting darker every week, it's useful to have a group and a set meeting spot.
The Village directory lists the places around that finish line:
- 203°F Coffee Co., 11901 NE Village Plaza, Suite 171. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Salt & Straw, 12620 120th Ave NE. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Serious Pie, 12540 120th Ave NE, Suite 122. Open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
- Mendocino Farms, 12540 120th Ave NE, Suite 102.
- Whole Foods Market, 12501 120th Ave NE. Open daily, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The directory pages don't show when they were last updated, so check hours before you go.
The City lists the corridor's regular hours as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Those hours don't apply to the closed section.
Two dates at the north end before the south end reopens
The Village has two family events scheduled during the closure:
- Village Halloween Celebration, Saturday, October 24, noon to 2 p.m. Costumed characters, a stage performance and crafts. Costumes are encouraged, and the page says it isn't a trick-or-treat event. Explore Kirkland lists the venue address as 12600 120th Ave NE.
- Santa's Arrival Party, Saturday, November 21, 10:30 a.m. Santa photos start at 11 a.m.
Both fall before early December, the rough three-month mark for the culvert work. If the south end opens on that schedule, it will reopen after Santa has already arrived at Totem Lake.
Feriton Spur Park, from the other direction
Further south, Feriton Spur Park sits on the corridor within Google's 6th Street campus at 509 6th Street South. The City lists year-round restrooms, a paved trail, pickleball, volleyball and a basketball court. Park hours are sunrise to 11 p.m. The park isn't in the listed closure limits. If you usually reach it from the south, though, check the County's detour map before you go. For anyone doing a long ride north in the cold months, the park's restrooms are open year-round.
Once the culvert, retaining wall and stream work are finished, the County plans to remove the diversion pipe and restore the site. For newer updates than this post, go to King County's ESI 14 project page, which posts each bulletin as it goes out.
If you're in South Kirkland and the trail matters to how you get around, The Christophilis Team follows projects like this closely. We can walk through how trail access, construction schedules and the Eastrail timeline fit with your plans for your home. Schedule a free consultation to talk through your neighborhood goals.
