Two construction projects are running at the same time in south Kirkland. Since September 8, King County has closed the Cross Kirkland Corridor between NE 52nd Street and 108th Avenue NE to repair a culvert. About a mile and a half northeast, crews are installing footings for the Kraken Iceplex and Kirkland Community Center at the site that used to be Houghton Park and Play. The pickleball courts, garden plots and skate features that drew people to that lot have all moved or are about to. Most of them now point to one downtown park. For the next year, Kirkland's outdoor recreation runs through Peter Kirk Park, and that park has a construction window of its own on the calendar.
The south end of the corridor is a work zone into December
The County's August 25 update says the closure started September 8 and the work will take three months. If that holds, the trail reopens around early December. Neither the County nor the City had published a firm reopening date as of their late-August notices. The work covers more than the culvert. Crews are also building a retaining wall to hold the slope and stabilizing the stream next to it. The County's July 2026 environmental checklist labels that stream the Unnamed Houghton Slope B Stream, above Yarrow Bay.
The culvert matters because of the pipe above it. The Eastside Interceptor Section 14 is a 7-foot-diameter County sewer line that carries about 2.6 million gallons of wastewater a day in dry weather to the South Treatment Plant in Renton. County and City crews found a leak from that pipe into the culvert in July 2025. The pipe repairs were finished in February 2026, and a 3,000-foot temporary diversion pipe has been running above ground on the west side of the trail ever since. That explains why this stretch has been on and off limits so often. The County's list of past notices covers a temporary reopening in December 2025, a closure in early January, a "trail opening soon" notice in February and a one-day closure near NE 52nd Street in March.
If you live near the work zone, the County says to expect:
- Work on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Noise from heavy equipment during those hours
- Lights and pumping around the clock on the temporary diversion pipe, with generator noise from the pumps
- Odors at the diversion sites
- A posted trail detour
The County's detour map sends trail users along NE 68th Street, 106th Avenue NE, Lakeview Drive and Lake Washington Boulevard. Its legend marks some detour points as steep. For anyone heading to the water, Lake Washington Boulevard passes Doris Cooper Houghton Beach Park at 5811 Lake Washington Boulevard. The rest of the 5.75-mile corridor, from South Kirkland Park & Ride to the Totem Lake Business District, is not part of the closure. That includes Feriton Spur Park, the linear park along the trail at Google's 6th Street campus, 509 6th Street South.
The Houghton lot became a rink site, and its parts went in three directions
The City bought the old Houghton Park and Ride in early 2024 for recreational use and set it up as a temporary park while it worked out a long-term plan. Houghton Park and Play at 6920 NE 70th Place closed May 4, 2026, to make way for the Kraken Iceplex and Kirkland Community Center. The City has committed to relocating its features. Here is where each one stands:
| Feature at Houghton Park and Play | Where it went | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Four temporary pickleball courts | Six dedicated courts at Peter Kirk Park | Opened July 2, 2026 |
| Community garden plots | A new section of Rose Hill Meadows, on donated land | Opened April 2026 |
| Modular skate park, installed July 2024 | Elements to be folded into an expanded Peter Kirk Park skate park | 30% concept design; construction expected Winter/Spring 2027 |
| Pump track and bike features | Not yet decided | City lists them as "under assessment" |
Two of the three features with a destination ended up at the same downtown park. Only the garden plots went somewhere else. If you used the pump track, you have no replacement location yet.
Peter Kirk Park took on the overflow, and its own construction comes next
The Peter Kirk tennis courts closed on April 13, 2026, for conversion. The City estimated a June finish, and the six new pickleball courts opened July 2 at 3 p.m. That's two more courts than the four at Houghton. They're open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk on a first-come, first-served basis. The rotation rules work much like the old Houghton setup. When players are waiting, the three courts nearest the skate park rotate after one game to 11. The three street-side courts are timed and rotate after 30 minutes. City rules don't allow business use of the courts, which rules out paid lessons, leagues and tournaments.
The skate park is next. The June 2026 update describes a 30% concept that would grow the skate park from about 4,500 square feet to more than 10,000. The concept includes manual pads, curbs, ledges, banks and a halfpipe, all subject to change. Design work continues through this fall, and construction is expected in Winter/Spring 2027. The Houghton page still gives an older target of late 2026, but the newer Peter Kirk update replaces it. No closure dates have been posted yet. Next year, the skate park will be fenced off right next to the courts that took Houghton's pickleball players, so Peter Kirk Park will have its own construction zone well before the iceplex opens.
What Houghton gets back in 2027
The City and the Seattle Kraken announced the project on April 29, 2026. The building will hold two NHL-regulation rinks, a City-run community center, a full-service public restaurant, a team store, and space for community programs and events. The City says the community center would be Kirkland's largest, with flexible program rooms and fitness space. Kirkland residents will be eligible for up to two hours of free open skate each month. The City's May 2026 layout for the second level shows two multipurpose rooms, activity and youth-activity rooms, a food-prep space and a large lobby. The City also notes that the restaurant will serve an area with few dining options.
The deal runs on a 34-year lease, and the City takes ownership at the end. The City says the project requires no new taxes. The City's timeline puts the start of construction in June 2026. Its September construction update, posted September 18, shows crews installing building and retaining-wall footings and digging for stormwater vaults while the final building plans are still in permit review. The City's timeline targets a Fall 2027 opening, and the video description says late 2027. At that pace, Houghton will have gone more than a year without its temporary park when the new building opens.
October's calendar is mostly downtown too
Most of this month's public events are within a few blocks of Peter Kirk Park:
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to noon: Free Costume Swap in the Peter Kirk Room at Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, evening: The Wheels and Reels drive-in shows Hoppers, rated PG, at Juanita Beach Park. Parking opens at 6 p.m. and the film starts at 7. It costs $20 per vehicle with advance registration.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 2 p.m.: Village Halloween Celebration at The Village at Totem Lake, with costumed characters, a stage show and crafts. The center says this isn't a trick-or-treat event.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 to 4 p.m.: Free Día de los Muertos celebration with traditional activities, food and music at Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Ave.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 5 to 8 p.m.: Treat Street at Kirkland Urban Plaza is free and open to the public, with costumed characters and family Halloween activities.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 3 p.m.: Seattle Deepavali Kondattam with Gopinath at Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave. It's a family-friendly Tamil cultural celebration with music and dance.
October 24 has three events back to back. On foot, you can go from the community center to Kirkland Urban in one afternoon. Two downtown spots are also new or newly open. Le Croissant Bar at 116 Lake St is in its soft opening. Café Sabah, a Turkish restaurant at 456 Central Way, is now open.
If you own near the Houghton iceplex site or along the closed stretch of the corridor, a construction calendar running into 2027 affects when to list, remodel or sell. The Ginn Group works on project timelines like this one, and we can show you how the iceplex schedule fits your own plans. Schedule a consultation.
