Quick Take:
The short section of segment 7 that will run from the intersection of California Street and Bay Avenue is expected to finally wrap up this year, and perhaps as early as this summer. However, city transportation officials acknowledge that the work area is a “challenging site” particularly sensitive to weather impacts.
For Westsiders, the stretch of the Coastal Rail Trail that runs from Natural Bridges Drive to the intersection of California Street and Bay Avenue is probably an afterthought.
The 1.3-mile stretch of trail, known as segment 7 Phase 1 of what is envisioned to be a 20-segment, 32-mile biking and pedestrian trail, has been fully functional since December 2020. Chances are, you’ve traveled at least part of its length multiple times by now.
Segment 7 is still not fully completed, though, but it is on its way. Phase two of segment 7 is much shorter than its predecessor — only 0.8 miles compared to the 1.3 miles already built — but the completion of this small stretch will provide a direct link from Natural Bridges all the way to the Santa Cruz Wharf.
While other segments of the trail have run into recent funding concerns, this section’s main issues have been weather-related. Construction began in July 2022, and was originally expected to be finished by July 2023.
City of Santa Cruz Transportation Manager Matt Starkey said that there was major difficulty with working at the site throughout the better part of last year. The intense storm systems that battered Santa Cruz County soaked the land and resulted in constant delays. Even if crews had been able to do some of the work, paving would have been delayed significantly, since crews cannot bring the necessary equipment onto the site while it’s waterlogged.
However, Starkey told Lookout that he’s hopeful the project will be completed by the summer — and even if that doesn’t happen, he’s confident it will be done by the end of the year.
Starkey said that project contractor, Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction, has a crew working on the trail’s retaining walls to keep the soil and landscaping stable above the path as well as a drainage system to keep the area clear of runoff water and prevent flooding. The soggy soil and perpetual dampness makes the site “naturally challenging” to work at, said Starkey.
“It’s a low-lying area, which means that’s where natural groundwater pools already,” he said. “Then, that just gets amplified by the rain.”
Yet, even as crews push forward, they continue to run into lingering weather-related difficulties. Starkey said that just this week they lost two days of work because of rain.
“If we’re trying to fill a hole for a drainage system and it’s wet or raining, that hole is just going to fill with water,” he said. “And it hasn’t even been that bad weatherwise. That just shows the challenges we have.”
Latest news
Check out our Carmageddon road delay list here. This week, pay particular attention to:
The full closure of Highway 1 between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and Park Avenue exits will start on Saturday, April 6, at 7 p.m. and run through Sunday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Crews will use this 24-hour closure to safely demolish the Capitola Avenue overcrossing and haul materials away.
The Pure Water Soquel water purification project continues to move forward, and its current work will affect parts of Laurel Street in Santa Cruz. The installation of an architectural cover for the piping along the Laurel Street bridge will continue this week between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., shutting down one lane of eastbound Laurel Street.
The onramp at northbound 41st Avenue and northbound Highway 1 will be closed for drainage work between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Monday through Thursday.