Santa Cruz receives funding for another portion of trail along coastal corridor

Santa Cruz will soon be able to begin construction on the second phase of a multi-use trail along the coast — adding to part of the long-term, controversial Rail-Trail vision.

The $9 million Active Transportation Program grant from Caltrans, plus an estimated $2 million in matching Measure D money, will help fund a 0.8-mile trail from Bay and California Streets to Pacific Avenue.

The trail — for which construction is expected to begin in the fall — will connect to the path completed during the first phase of the “Segment 7" project that was unveiled late last year. That path serves about 600 active users a day, according to a news release from the city of Santa Cruz.

Once complete, Segment 7 will span 2.1 miles from Natural Bridges Drive to Pacific Avenue, expanding access to “over 30,000 residents who live within one mile of the trail,” the release said.

This latest piece of the trail will be built in a low-income part of Santa Cruz. The city has not determined an exact breakdown of the construction costs, but expects the use the whole grant for the 0.8-mile path, according to a city spokesperson.

At present, the first phase of Segment 7 is the only part of the trail that has been completed, with the exception of the much shorter San Lorenzo River Parkway bridge trail near the Boardwalk. Those recently completed segments connect with existing bike routes, including the West Cliff Drive and Wilder Ranch paths.

If ever completed — the 32-mile trail, made up of 20 segments, would provide an additional uninterrupted bike corridor. The issue of whether to build a rail line alongside it remains one of the most hotly contested issues in county government.