Now that the city of Kirkland has completed the interim trail on the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC), work is underway to add public artwork and create greater overall cohesion.

In addition to adding bridges at several sections currently interupted by either traffic or terrain, the city is also working to place artwork throughout the corridor, such as 30 pieces of the historic ferry MV Kalakala. The city purchased the pieces of the historic ferry in February after it was dismantled and its pieces auctioned off. The ferry operated on Puget Sound from 1935 until its retirement in 1967.

Among the souvenirs purchased by the city for $59,000 are two large doors, valve wheels, the wheel room and hand railings. As to how and where they will be placed along the corridor, a committee consisting of individuals from the city of Kirkland Transportation Commission, Parks Board, Cultural Arts Commission and city residents has been formed to handle the task, according to Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Kari Page. One possibility is along the corridor overlooking Carillon Point. There, it was rebuilt at the Lake Washington Shipyards after being burned due to arson in 1933.

On top of public artwork, the city is also putting together an art integration plan for artwork along the corridor. Page said the plan will look at sections and solicit community input in what and how the artwork should be displayed.

Beyond beautification, the city is expected today to complete the purchase of two properties in the Houghton neighborhood on 106th Avenue Northeast for approximately $4.7 million, mainly to obtain an easement for the corridor.

The two properties, 6705 and 6711 106th Ave. NE, will provide direct access from the Cross Kirkland Corridor to Houghton Center, according to a Feb. 25 city memo. Right now there is no direct access, the memo states, and the two properties are located adjacent to the corridor and 106th Avenue Northeast.

Deputy Manager Tracey Dunlap said the property owner approached them after a private buyer offered to buy the properties, knowing the city was interested. Their chief reason for buying the property, she said, is to place an easement on it that would allow public access through the property. The property was identified in the Cross Kirkland Corridor Masterplan as a possible linkage.

Additionally, the city is working on comprehensive plan amendments and zoning regulations through the Houghton-Everest Neighborhood Center update process, which the council approved in September. Those alterations might change the property’s zoning. The recommendations will be presented to the council by July 2016. The purchase for the two properties would be made using a three-year interfund loan from the Waster Sewer Utility fund. Currently the property has apartments, which Dunlap said would be handled by a private management company during the three-year interfund loan period, after which the city may choose to sell the property while maintaining the easement. By then, Dunlap said, the update to the neighborhood zoning codes will be completed. As part of the purchasing agreement, the seller will have the right of first refusal for three years after the sale is completed, meaning that they will have the opportunity to repurchase the property at a set price before the city attempts to sell it to other prospective buyers.

Currently, the city has been working with community organizations such as the Rotary Club of Kirkland Downtown to improve connectivity along the corridor. Earlier this month, the Rotary Club constructed stairs along the corridor where it connects to Northeast 64th Street.

The city also plans to build a bridge and elevator at the South Kirkland Park and Ride located at Northeast 38th Place, where it intersects with the corridor, in order to make it more accessible. If the necessary funding is acquired, the city also hopes to add a bridge for the corridor where it intersects with Northeast 124th Street in the Totem Lake neighborhood. The rails from that section of the corridor have yet to be removed, Page said, because they plan to handle it as a separate project.

Major improvements to the interim trail, however, will remain on hold while Sound Transit develops a Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, which may include plans to install a light rail system within the corridor. Sound Transit’s Planned Easement Area allows them to build the light rail system, while at the same time stipulating the conditions of major improvements by the city. The ballot measure may come as early as November 2016, according to Sound Transit.

Though the masterplan doesn’t account for a Sound Transit light rail system, the corridor’s width would still allow the city to maintain a primary and second trail if they decided to move forward with one, Page said.