Rail Trail Project Open House

This open house is an informal, public meeting to share the progress plans for the Coastal Rail Trail within the City of Santa Cruz.

The project will be a paved, multi-use path running from Natural Bridges Drive to Pacific Avenue. This 2-mile segment is the highest priority in the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Master Plan. The plan identifies the 32-mile coastal rail corridor from Watsonville to Davenport for an adjacent bike/pedestrian path and another 18 miles of spur trails to provide coastal and neighborhood connectivity. The Regional Transportation Commission purchased the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line to provide the bike/pedestrian trail and to pursue future passenger rail service.

The design and environmental services, construction, construction engineering and management, and permitting for this project is both state and federally funded, with a 20% local match. Community groups Friends of the Rail & Trail, Bike Santa Cruz County and Ecology Action have raised private donations as a match to public funds to help build this section of the Coastal Rail Trail.