Construction has begun on a new segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail in the Ravenswood Preserve near East Palo Alto.
“The new trail will close a critical 0.6-mile gap in the Bay Trail between University Avenue and Ravenswood Preserve,” the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District said in a statement. “Benefits of the project include improved access to nature and outdoor recreation for local residents and new commute routes for cyclists.”
Workers will restore habitat and salt marsh wetlands around the area will be enhanced as part of the project, including refuge islands that will help shelter endangered Cooley Marsh wildlife such as the salt marsh harvest mouse and a shorebird called the Ridgway’s rail.
The project is east of University Avenue, south of the abandoned Dumbarton rail line, north of East Palo Alto’s University Village neighborhood and west of the existing Bay Trail segment in the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in Menlo Park.
The preserve will be accessed by a new stretch of sidewalk along University Avenue, leading to a raised boardwalk, a bridge with an overlook and interpretive signs.
“This is truly a celebratory moment, as today marks a major milestone nearly 15 years in the making to close a critical gap in the Bay Trail — one that was first envisioned in 2005 to connect multiple communities and cities to their local Bayfront parks and open spaces,” Ana Ruiz, general manager of the open space district, said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. “For this short but mighty trail segment, it took more agencies and organizations than I can count on my 10 fingers to receive the approvals and funding support necessary to reach the start of construction.”
The district estimates the cost of planning, designing, engineering, permitting and building the 0.6-mile Ravenswood Bay Trail at about $5 million.
“The trail is anticipated to open in the summer of 2020, if work can be completed in the narrow construction window constrained by seasonal restrictions for sensitive wildlife species in the area,” according to the district.
More information can be found at openspace.org/bay-trail.
— Bay City News
$5 million for a 6/10th of a mile segment? Did I read that right?
6/10ths of a mile is 3,168 feet.
That’s $1,578 per foot.
It’s got to be the most expensive trail ever made. Is the path paved with gold?
Isn’t there anyone on the board of MROSD who is concerned about how much this cost?
That’s astounding. For 5 million, they could have bought several homes for needy people. It could have done a lot of good. Why not make a developer pay for this small trail and use the money for something helpful.
Surprising that it would take 15 years to build a trail this short. I wonder if anybody addressed that in the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. Since this cost $5 million, I get the feeling there were some bureaucrats along the way who were milking this project for as much as they could put in their pockets.