Puget Sound Regional Council recently announced the Redmond Central Connector — the BNSF rail corridor within Redmond city limits — was selected to receive $2,300,000 in federal transportation enhancement funding.

The funding will be used to construct a corridor connector from the Eastlake Sammamish trail, through downtown, to the Sammamish River Trail.

This project was one of the few in the area selected for this competitive grant. By law, these funds were allocated to projects that showed a strong relationship between the transportation system, their benefit to the community, and how well the project integrated the following elements: pedestrian and bicycle safety, scenic, and historic resources, and environmental protection.

“The City is currently developing a master plan or future design for the Connector, which when redeveloped, will both redefine the heart of Redmond and respect its history,” stated Redmond Mayor, John Marchione. “This award will allow us to begin the construction of a regional trail along the Redmond Central Connector, which will connect Downtown Redmond to more than 60 miles of regional trails, via the East Lake Sammamish Trail and the Sammamish River Trail.”

The city plans to begin construction of the 1.1 mile segment of the regional trail in 2012 following the installation of a stormwater trunk line within the Connector right-of-way.

The Redmond Central Connector includes a 3.89 mile long linear corridor extending from the east end of the Bear Creek Trail in Redmond Town Center to NE 124th Street.

Look here for more information about the project.