Carmageddon: Facing cost overruns, RTC eyes rail trail changes that could jeopardize state grants

As Coastal Rail Trail planners prepare to search for ways to save money on 8 miles of the county-spanning project, they have made it clear that they could be forced to tweak the design of Segments 8 through 11 in order to do so. That very well might have consequences for the state funding that the projects received.

The four rail trail segments that stretch from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to State Park Drive were a focal point of last week’s meeting of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), when planners and commissioners hashed out how to approach a $72 million funding gap the project is facing. Staff was directed to explore ways to cut costs, but depending on what planners decide, that could hold consequences for the project and its funding.

The Coastal Rail Trail is envisioned as a 32-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail, split up into 20 segments, that runs adjacent to the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line from Davenport to Watsonville. Only about 3 miles of the trail have been completed. Another 7.5 miles from Davenport to Wilder Ranch State Park are under construction.

A staff report said that cost-cutting likely involves changing the “scope” of the project. City of Santa Cruz Transportation Manager Matt Starkey told Lookout following last week’s meeting that it could mean something as simple as reducing the amount of lighting along the trail, installing fewer crosswalks or taking out some intersection improvements. Shortening the length of the segments would likely save more money, but raises its own problems.

The segments were funded by California Transportation Commission (CTC) grants totaling $103 million to build a Class 1 multi-use trail, meaning that it is expected to accommodate multiple types of users and be suitable for all levels and abilities. The CTC programs allocate money for highway, rail, transit and active transportation projects.

“If we change the length of the project, it would be a clear reduction in active transportation benefits and would likely come with a decrease in funding,” Starkey said.

County planner Rob Tidmore said that, essentially, the project teams have to try to find ways to build the segments without losing any of the public benefits that were originally intended.

“We applied to deliver a 4.2-mile-long multi-use trail, and that’s what the California Transportation Commission is expecting,” he said, referring to the county-led Segments 10 and 11. He added that if the county has to do something like reduce the length, the CTC could pull some of its funding. In any event, the CTC will have to approve of any design change.

Commissioners at last week’s meeting raised concerns about the cost and feasibility of the current trail plan. That plan, called the “ultimate” trail, involves the trail running adjacent to the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line and running a passenger rail service on the rail line. Some train opponents have continued to advocate for the alternative “interim” trail design, which involves running the trail on top of the tracks.

While the various agencies working on the project have been committed to the ultimate design for several years now, Tidmore told the commission last week that it’s “relatively safe to say” there would be enough money to build the interim trail instead, assuming the CTC approves of the switch. Commissioners eventually directed staff to present a report and hold a public discussion on railbanking — removing the tracks while theoretically preserving the corridor for future rail service — in December. The RTC would need to pursue this process if it wants to build the interim trail.

The RTC already completed an environmental impact report on this design, but If the commission does end up wanting to pursue it, Tidmore would have to go to the county board of supervisors and Starkey would have to go to the Santa Cruz City Council to approve the project change. Tidmore said that the planners have not contacted the CTC about any design changes, so it’s difficult to say how much funding could be at risk of being pulled due to major changes to the project plans, and whether more would be pulled if the RTC indicates it wants to pursue railbanking and the interim trail.

City transportation planner Claire Gallogly said that while the project team has “big problems in front of us right now,” the team’s main focus is to transform the way people travel in the county and its cities — and for the time being, they will continue to push the trail project forward as is.

“I think it’s really worth staying the course and figuring out how to make it happen,” she said.

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Check out our Carmageddon road project list here. This week, pay particular attention to:

• Vegetation control will shut down one lane of southbound Highway 17 between Redwood Estates and Summit Road on Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. A northbound Highway 1 closure in the same area will take place on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• An eight-month closure of southbound Highway 1 off-ramp and northbound Highway 1 on-ramp at Bay Avenue/Porter Street has been postponed. It had been scheduled to begin on Thursday at 9 p.m. The RTC did not provide a new date, but said that one would be announced before construction begins.

• Pavement, guardrail and erosion control work will shut down about 1 mile of Upper East Zayante Road on weekdays through early November between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The road will open up between noon and 12:30 p.m. each day to let traffic pass.

• Shoulder work will cause an overnight closure of one lane of northbound Highway 1 Buena Vista Drive and Rob Roy/Freedom Boulevard from Monday through Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• A full closure of the Murray Street Bridge will run until February 2026. It will be closed to vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Vehicle traffic will be detoured along Soquel Avenue and Capitola Road via Seabright Avenue and 7th Avenue. Bicycles will be detoured across Arana Gulch and along Broadway via Seabright Avenue and 7th Avenue. Pedestrians will be detoured around the north harbor.

• The installation of the Newell Creek Pipeline on Graham Hill Road between Summit Avenue and Lockewood Lane will take place on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and could cause delays of up to five minutes.

• Utility work, tree work and striping will close down sections of Highway 9 between Riverdale Park and Monaco Lane, Pleasant Way/Madrona Road and Pool Drive, and Mitchell Drive and Ramona Drive from Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

• Storm damage repair will shut down sections of Eureka Canyon Road in Corralitos for several months. Work will take place on weekdays only from 7:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. through Oct. 31.

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