SANTA CRUZ — Transportation planners in Santa Cruz County are working hard, and officials across the state are paying close attention.
The California Transportation Commission has approved more than $115 million in grants through active transportation programs for six transportation projects in the county, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission announced today.
Most of that funding (an estimated $105 million) will be used to build nearly seven miles of multi-use bicycle and pedestrian coastal rail trails along the Commission’s 32-mile bifurcation rail line that spans across the county. used for
The four segments that will receive the funding will ultimately span the City of Santa Cruz to the Seacliffe District to the “Heart of Santa Cruz County.”
“This is a big win for Santa Cruz County,” Commission Executive Director Guy Preston said in a release. “The Coastal Rail Trail Project will transform the way people get around the county, benefiting generations of cyclists and walkers. It’s a great example of how big state and federal grants can be leveraged.”
Funds from the county’s 2016 Major D sales tax were used to provide local matches to take advantage of state funding programs, according to the release. This grant means that Rail Trail Segments 8, 9, 10 and 11 will be fully funded and the highly anticipated project will continue to progress.
Segments 8 and 9 are delivered from the City of Santa Cruz and include a 2.2-mile trail from the Beach Street roundabout to the east side of 17th Street. Environmental, design, and roadway work is currently underway.
“We are very excited to secure funding to move forward with construction of the Coastal Rail Trail. This is an important project for our community,” said Matt Haffaker, City Manager of Santa Cruz. . “Families, children and visitors can safely walk or bike in Santa Cruz to all of our great facilities.”
The city also began construction on the second phase of Segment 7 this summer, beginning at Natural Bridge and leading directly to the Beach Street roundabout.
Segments 10 and 11, which include a 4.5-mile trail from 17th Street to Seacliff, received $67.6 million in funding. This is the largest active transport subsidy in the program’s history. The final design of this segment is scheduled for 2024.
But this isn’t the only competitive grant opportunity the Santa Cruz Commission will explore in the coming months. A combination of funding and grants will meet the $7.7 million price tag for early-stage research.
In addition to funding the rail trail segment with this recent grant, the City of Watsonville will receive $6.9 million for the Safe Route to Watsonville Downtown project and the City of Santa Cruz to build a multi-use highway on the west side of the city. received $2.9 million to The county’s Department of Health and Human Services received $1.8 million for Watsonville Schools’ Family and Community Program Safe Routes, and the University of California, Santa Cruz awarded Phase 2 of its “SlugBikeLife” bike safety and education program. We were offered $700,000 in Phase 2 to develop a robust and culturally inclusive program. A safe biking program around campus.
The $115 million award received by Santa Cruz County represents 13% of the $1.02 billion in this cycle that has been provided for 93 ongoing transportation projects through state programs.
