SANTA CRUZ — Community members, local leaders and hundreds of Bay View Elementary students packed into La Barranca Park on Bay Street in Santa Cruz Wednesday morning for the official opening ceremony for the Segment 7, Phase II portion of the Coastal Rail Trail.
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“This project has been part of our capital investment program for 10 years and so we are really excited to share it with the public today,” said Santa Cruz Public Works Director Nathan Nguyen at the ceremony. “This exemplifies what we can achieve when multiple public agencies come together to collaborate on a shared vision.”
The newly completed Coastal Rail Trail Segment 7 Phase II connects Bay Street/California Street to Pacific Avenue/Beach Street and complements the already completed Segment 7 Phase I, forming a continuous 2.1-mile multi-use path from Natural Bridges Drive to the Municipal Wharf. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
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The Coastal Rail Trail is managed by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission and is a component of the 50-mile Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network project, which will eventually span the length of Santa Cruz County. The latest addition to the paved bicycle and pedestrian path spans about 0.8 miles and extends the first phase of the rail trail’s Segment 7, from Bay Street and California Avenue to Beach Street and Pacific Avenue. With both phases complete, Segment 7 extends about 2.1 miles along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail right-of-way, adjacent to the train tracks, from Natural Bridges Drive to the roundabout near the Santa Cruz Wharf entrance.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Phase II segment was in part a celebration of National Public Works Week, which has a theme of “People, Purpose, Presence,” or the three cornerstones that motivate those in public works, according to Nguyen.
Bay View Principal and Santa Cruz City Councilmember Renée Golder speaks at Wednesday’s ceremony. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
“National Public Works Week is a time to honor public works professionals who plan, design, build, manage and operate critical infrastructure to provide high-quality service and protect the community every day,” he said.
As the hundreds of young pedestrians made their way into La Barranca Park from Bay View Elementary Wednesday morning, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley thanked the many people who made the latest addition to the rail trail possible, including former U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, who helped secure federal funding for the project. Keeley mentioned that Farr has been in the hospital and asked the crowd to pose for a photo to give to the retired congressman for his help and many years of public service.
“It takes an entire community to pull all of this together for multiple years,” said Keeley. “Students, this is for you. This is for you and for the future.”
Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, who represents the city’s third district, which encompasses the second phase of the Segment 7 rail trail, said that the path is more than just “pavement and paint.”
“It’s about connection,” said Kalantari-Johnson. “It’s about all of us connecting with each other, connecting across the community. The project links with Segment 7’s Phase I, which already sees about 800 people using it every day.”
Sarah Christensen, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, thanked voters for approving Measure D in 2016, which funds local transportation projects such as the Coastal Rail Trail.
People walk through Santa Cruz artist Jenni Ward’s “Feast of Flowers” as they arrive at Wednesday’s ceremony. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
“Gratitude for the taxpayers of Santa Cruz County who voted to tax themselves to make this trail a reality,” said Christensen. “Lastly, gratitude to the hard-working public works professionals, who rolled up their sleeves and made this trail a reality. It’s been a pleasure working with all of you.”
Bay View Elementary Principal and Santa Cruz City Councilmember Renée Golder was on double-duty Wednesday morning, coordinating students and speaking to the newly completed pathway’s impact on young commuters.
“Students, it is my goal that by the end of your time at Bay View you will safely be able to travel around Santa Cruz — go to school, go to sports and hang out with your friends without your parents — and this is the perfect example of how we as adults are working to help that vision become a reality,” said Golder. “This rail trail gives kids a safe way to get where they need to go.”
The next portions of the Coastal Rail Trail, Segments 8 and 9, which continue down Beach Street and beyond, are slated to begin construction next year.
For information about Segments 7, 8 and 9 of the Coastal Rail Trail, visit cityofsantacruz.com.