895 J Appendix A Trail Line
APPENDIX A- YELM PRARIE TRAIL LINE (Regional Trails Plan
Excerpt)
Note: The fo!lowing is an excerpt from the 2007 Thurston Regional Trails Plan
Yelm Prairie Line Trail ~
Length: 4.8 miles total (0.3 mile paved, 1 mile planned, 3.5 miles proposed)
Type of Facility: Shared-use Trail
Lead Agency: City of Yelm
Partners: Thurston County, Pierce County, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
Description: The City of Yelm purchased a segment of the Yelm Prairie Line Railroad from Burlington
Northern Railroad Company in 1998 with Federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) grant funds.
Yelm owns the railroad right-of-way (R01N) fee simple. This purchase acquired the railroad ROW and its
underlying property from State Route 510 northeast to the Town of Roy in Pierce County. As a condition
of acquiring this ROW with STP funds, the Federal Highways Administration required that a shared-use
trail must be built along the length this corridor. The City of Yelm's Comprehensive Plan identifies the
Yelm Prairie Line Trail as a class 1 shared-use trail facility from State Route 510 to the Town of Roy. City
of Yelm land use plans support future land use activities that support customers requiring rail shipping
services, and active rail service could be restored to this corridor in the future. The City of Yelm may be
the first in the region to not only provide a shared-use trail that connects to another county, but could also
have a joint shared-use trail with active rail service. This trail will improve travel for bicycle and pedestrian
traffic by providing an off street uninterrupted route through the center of Yelm and expand the greater
Yelm-Tenino Trail Corridor.
Connections and Destinations: City center of Yelm, Town of Roy, City of Yelm and unincorporated
Thurston County residential communities, Yelm City Park, Yelm to Tenino Trail
Cost Estimates: Engineering, Phase I Design $80,925
Draft Yelm Parks & Recreation Plan - May 2008 63
Conditions and Recommendations:
(Recommendations are in bold)
• The City of Yelm secured a$70,000 Regional Surface Transportation Program grant and an
additional $10,925 in local funds to complete the design phase of this planned portion of
shared-use trail from SR510 to Canal Road. The design will include a 10 foot wide shared-use
path. Landscaping and on street parking will be included at Rhoton Road and First Street to
enhance trail user access to this facility. The City has not secured funding for the construction
phase of this planned portion.
• There is an existing 0.3 mile paved segment from Canal Street northeast to the Canal Bridge.
This segment was privately funded by residential development adjacent to the trail. It is open
for public use.
• The 3.5 mile segment of the proposed Yelm Prairie Line Trail extends beyond Yelm city limits
and will require a region-wide effort to finance, plan, and design and build this trail corridor. A
partnership including City of Yelm, Town of Roy, and Thurston and Pierce counties is essential
to effectively evaluate this trail's development strategy. In 2007, the City of Yelm received a
$805,407 Transportation Enhancement Grant to construct approximately 1.1 miles of a 10 foot
wide multi-use trail along the City owned railroad corridor between E. Yelm Avenue and Canal
Road. The City of Yelm should evaluate the existing railroad bridge structure across the
Nisqually River for possible trail use. If this bridge is being considered for future rail
service, an alternative trail crossing should be evaluated in this trail's planning process.
In addition, any future reactivation of rail service along this corridor will require that a
fence or some type of barrier be constructed to separate the trail facility from the
operational railroad tracks. The City has not secured funding for the design or
construction phases of this proposed segment.
• A future Yelm Loop Alternate Bypass is planned around the northern edge of Yelm city limits to
detour through traffic off of Yelm Avenue. WSDOT is the lead agency on the State Highway
Project. Plans for this future planned facility include 8 foot wide non-motorized pathways on
both sides of the road to serve non-motorized travel in each direction. Although these
pathways will be separated from the motor vehicle lanes by a vegetated swale, these paths are
not technically shared-use trails, however they will likely function as such. WSDOT should
include design provisions to connect the future Yelm Loop Bypass non-motorized
facilities with the existing and proposed segments of the Yelm to Tenino Trail.
Draff Yelm Parks & Recreation Plan - May 2008 64