Cross Kirkland Corridor Closure: Fall 2026 Detours and Access

"Due to continued construction on the Cross Kirkland Corridor Trail, there is a change to the course in 2026, and that change means the 2026 course loses its certification."

Orca Running posted that line on the Lake Washington Half Marathon page ahead of its October 17 race at Juanita Beach Park. A trail closure changed a certified half-marathon course. It's the clearest sign so far that the corridor's south end is out of service for most of the fall. The north end has gone the other way. It's now more connected than it has ever been.

King County closed the Cross Kirkland Corridor between Northeast 52nd Street and 108th Avenue Northeast on September 8. Work is expected to take three months, and the county has not given an exact reopening date. Three months from September 8 lands around early December. That's an estimate, not a promise. For the rest of the year, the CKC's longest uninterrupted ride or run goes north out of Kirkland.

Why the Same Stretch Keeps Closing

Under this part of the trail runs ESI 14, a seven-foot-diameter King County sewer pipe. In dry weather it carries about 2.6 million gallons of wastewater a day to the South Treatment Plant in Renton. In July 2025, King County and City of Kirkland crews found a leak from that pipe entering a culvert. The county worked with Public Health – Seattle & King County and found no public health risk.

Every closure since then has been part of fixing that one pipe:

1. Late September 2025. Emergency repairs on the pipe joints begin.
2. October 15, 2025. The segment reopens briefly for the Lake Washington Half, then closes again on Monday, October 20.
3. December 11, 2025. It reopens for about two weeks during a construction pause, timed to the 12K's of Christmas run.
4. January 5, 2026. The trail closes again for pipe repairs expected to run through February.
5. February 13, 2026. King County says the pipe repairs are done and the trail could reopen as early as February 27. The above-ground sewer pipe and the fencing at access points stay up for later work.
6. March 24, 2026. A one-day closure for soil testing ahead of the summer work, with the trail reopening at 5 p.m.
7. September 8, 2026. The current full closure for the culvert begins.

The pipe itself was fixed in the winter. This fall's work is on what surrounds it. The damaged culvert runs under ESI 14, and crews are also building a retaining wall to hold up the slope and stabilizing the nearby stream. The county says the goal is to protect the pipe from future damage. The City of Kirkland describes it the same way: protecting both the repaired sewer pipe and the trail. In other words, this is the last phase of the project.

What the Closure Looks Like From the Street

King County's August 25 update lists what to expect. Work happens on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with heavy equipment running during those hours. A temporary above-ground diversion pipe has lights and pumps running 24 hours a day, plus generator noise, and there may be odors at the diversion sites. That diversion pipe is about 3,000 feet long and runs along the west side of the trail. Crews will remove it and restore the site once the work is done. The county's aerial map of the site shows two western access points blocked by the pipe.

The official detour map labels these streets:

• Northeast 68th Street
• 106th Avenue Northeast
• Lakeview Drive
• Lake Washington Boulevard
• Northeast 52nd Street
• 108th Avenue Northeast

The map's legend marks some detour points as "Steep Trail Detour Point" and others as regular detour points. Strollers, trailers and tired legs will notice the difference. The county asks trail users to follow the detour signs and stay out of the work area. The signs on the ground are a better guide than any secondhand turn-by-turn directions.

The Fall Races Have Already Adjusted

Last year the closed segment opened twice so races could use it. Nothing on any 2026 race page or county notice found for this post promises that again. The fall race calendar has already shifted.

The Lake Washington Half Marathon is Saturday, October 17, at 8 a.m., starting and finishing at Juanita Beach Park. Orca Running calls it a loop along Lake Washington and through Kirkland neighborhoods, with aid stations at about miles 1, 4, 5.7, 7.3, 9.4 and 11.8. The 2026 course changed because of the trail work, so this year's race is not certified. Anyone who wanted a certified time will need a different race this year.

The Kirkland Turkey Trot is Sunday, November 15, also at Juanita Beach Park. Its route starts and finishes at the park and returns over the historic Market Street Bridge, so it doesn't depend on the closed stretch.

The 12Ks of Christmas, which got last December's two-week reopening, is at Redmond Town Center on Sunday, December 13. Its 5K and 12K use trails around downtown Redmond.

All three fall races now either avoid the closed segment or are held outside Kirkland. That's useful to know if you're planning a weekend run around them.

The North End Connected While the South End Closed

The new north-end connection opened in spring. On April 24, 2026, signals went live at a new crossing at Slater Avenue Northeast and 132nd Avenue Northeast. It links the CKC to Eastrail and on to Woodinville and Redmond. It's a signalized crossing with a protective median for people walking and biking. To make room, northbound Slater Avenue was cut to one lane and a protected northbound bike lane added. The city held the official ribbon-cutting on June 22, with a walking and biking tour before the speeches.

Eastrail Partners says the crossing finishes a connected route from Kirkland to Redmond. It links up with the Totem Lake Connector Bridge, which opened in 2023, and the Redmond Central Connector, completed in 2025. That last piece was the final 1.6-mile Central Connector segment, linking Downtown Redmond with Kirkland and Woodinville. Its ribbon-cutting was September 12, 2025.

So the timing worked out this way. The north-end gap closed in April, and the south end shut in September. From Kirkland, the longest open trail mileage this fall heads toward Totem Lake and beyond, not toward Houghton.

Stops on a North-Facing Route

Starting from the south, these places sit on or near the open part of the corridor.

1. Feriton Spur Park, 509 6th Street South. The park sits right on the corridor and has restrooms open all year. City park hours are sunrise to 11 p.m. It's north of the closure, so it's the easiest southern starting point for now.
2. Caffe Ladro, 400 Urban Plaza, Kirkland Urban. Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
3. Chainline Brewing, 500 Uptown Court, Suite 210, Kirkland Urban. Kirkland Urban lists it as a tenant in its directory.
4. 203°F Coffee Co., 11901 NE Village Plaza, Suite 171, The Village at Totem Lake. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
5. Serious Pie and Kati Vegan Thai, 12540 120th Avenue NE, Suites 122 and 110. Both are at Totem Lake with posted daily hours.

The Totem Lake stops are on 120th Avenue, a short detour off the trail and not at the new Slater crossing. Past them, the route continues over Slater Avenue toward Redmond or Woodinville.

What Comes Back, and What Takes Longer

When the culvert work ends, crews will take out the diversion pipe and restore the site. That should end the cycle of short reopenings and new closures on this segment. As of the county's latest posted update on August 25, there was no newer schedule. For news on the reopening, check King County's ESI 14 project page.

Even after the south end reopens, it won't connect much farther yet. Eastrail's link toward Bellevue depends on the Wilburton Trestle, which King County expects to open in mid-2027. Eastrail Partners lists summer 2027 as a tentative opening date. Until then, the longest connected stretch runs north from Kirkland.

Closures like this one can change trail access near the CKC for months at a time. If you'd like to talk through how trail access and the corridor's upcoming changes might affect a purchase or sale near the CKC, Sipos Homes can help with the details. Schedule a consultation.