Executive/Council Action Form (ECAF)
ITEM TITLE:
Title
Motion 21-215, authorizing approval of the Underpass Agreement and Associated Easement Agreement with BNSF for the Meadowdale Beach Park and Estuary Restoration Project
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DEPARTMENT: Conservation and Natural Resources
ORIGINATOR: Logan Daniels
EXECUTIVE RECOMMENDATION: Approve
PURPOSE: To execute the Underpass Agreement and the associated Easement Agreement with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company to allow construction of a railroad bridge , ADA-accessible public beach access and estuary within the 100-foot wide BNSF-owned railroad right-of-way; and to establish a permanent easement across the railroad right-of-way beneath the proposed railroad bridge for access and maintenance purposes.
BACKGROUND: Meadowdale Beach County Park, visited annually by more than 70,000 park patrons, is approximately 108-acres and extends from the rim of Lunds Gulch to the tidelands of Puget Sound. The County-owned tidelands are separated from the lower park lawn area by a100-foot wide right-of-way owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF). This section of rail is known as BNSF's Scenic Subdivision Line Segment 50. Multiple carriers including Amtrak, Sound Transit and Union Pacific operate along this rail line under contracts with BNSF. Two main tracks supported by a raised rock-armored embankment and a 6-foot wide, 5.5-foot high, 60-foot long concrete culvert conveying Lunds Gulch Creek, a salmon-bearing stream are located within the 100-foot wide right-of-way. A major park development project, completed in 1988, included securing an agreement with BNSF for shared use of the culvert and installation of a wooden boardwalk (now steel grating) above the stream for the purpose of providing public beach access. Over time, increased runoff and rainfall events within the gulch have resulted in sediment delivery, flooding, public safety, and fish impediment issues at the entrance to a...
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