A million more people will live in the region in 25 years, and you can bet that Kirkland will get more than its fair share of them. Our freeways are already jammed, and high capacity transit on the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC), with extensive feeder buses, will provide a critical alternative to being stuck in traffic.

My wife and I purchased our Houghton home next to the CKC in the ‘60s. The CKC was part of a private rail corridor then, and thanks to visionary planning, it is part of a regional public corridor now. While some property owners have expressed concerns, transit use of the corridor should not be a surprise to anyone.

The city has done a great job of building and advertising the interim trail, and no one wants to lose it. However, there is room for transit and a first-class trail, and Sound Transit (the transit provider) would be expected to provide both.

While actual construction would likely not start for many years, the Sound Transit plan to be voted on next fall (ST3), provides a unique opportunity to lock in the funding. For our city’s future we need to take the long view, learn about the options, provide constructive feedback, and enthusiastically support development of the CKC and a regional ST3.

Dave Russell, Kirkland