Issaquah vows to finish South Lake Sammamish trail, pushes Sound Transit on light-rail timeline
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Summary
Mayor told council the city will prioritize finishing the South Lake Sammamish trail (target start 2028) and use TBD bonding, traffic-impact fees and grants to pay for capital projects while mounting a regional campaign to keep Issaquah on Sound Transit maps as board decisions accelerate this spring.
Mayor Mullet told the City Council on Feb. 9 that the administration will prioritize maintaining existing transportation infrastructure and will "start work on this trail in the 2028" construction season, making a public commitment to finish the South Lake Sammamish trail even if grant applications fall short.
The mayor said the administration plans to use Transportation Benefit District (TBD) bonding capacity—roughly $30,000,000—and $4 million to $5 million in traffic impact fees, supplemented by aggressive grant-seeking, to fund the trail and other capital work. "It's roughly $19,000,000 for us to finish this trail coming in from the South Lake Sammamish communities," he said, and that project would use a large share of that bonding capacity.
Why it matters: the trail has been a community priority since annexation of South Lake Sammamish neighborhoods. Council members pressed staff about whether phases of the trail could be constructed earlier; Public Works Director Emily Moon answered that the project sequencing is constrained by WSDOT work on a culvert and bridge, utility relocations and contractor mobilization considerations, which make a 2028 start the practical earliest date the administration will commit to.
On regional transit, Mullet said big decisions on Sound Transit alignments and station counts are imminent and urged coordinated local advocacy. He noted support letters from local and regional businesses and institutions and said the administration will argue for "cost-efficient" alignments that minimize right-of-way acquisition and the number of stations. The city plans outreach and will publish a web page with specifics; staff also flagged a community meeting about light rail for Feb. 24 (administration later clarified the regional Sound Transit board meeting is Feb. 26).
Council reaction was broadly supportive of forceful advocacy, though members sought clarity on costs, trade-offs and timing. The administration said the TIP update will return in June and that staff will use TBD bonding capacity to fund a prioritized list of near-term congestion-relief and multimodal projects while pursuing outside funding.
Next steps: the administration will continue regional advocacy at upcoming Sound Transit meetings, publish guidance for public involvement, return with a TIP update in June and bring project-level cost estimates to council for feedback on which projects to advance toward 2027 construction.