Review of the "Interim Trail Compromise" Ahead of the SCCRTC Meeting on Dec 4th

Nov 29

For more than a decade, Santa Cruz County has debated how best to use the rail corridor to meet our community’s transportation, environmental, and equity goals. The discussion has often centered on whether the corridor should ultimately support rail transit, a stand-alone trail, or a combined rail-with-trail system. Over time, the conversation has become both highly technical and highly emotional, reflecting deeply held values about mobility, climate action, land use, and local identity.

One point that has remained consistent is that residents want safer, more connected places to walk, bike, and move around the county without a car. Trail related projects along the corridor have made progress, but they have also been shaped and delayed by process, engineering and construction delays and much higher costs.

The recently proposed “interim trail” concept for Segments 8–11 (from the Boardwalk to Aptos) has emerged as a compromise to move trail construction forward. Because this idea touches on both near-term trail construction and long-term corridor uncertainty, Bike Santa Cruz County met with city and county planners to better understand the factors behind it. Our goal is to offer a clear, factual summary of what we said, so the community members can evaluate the proposal with accurate, shared information. Below are key points from our meeting.

Costs and Rail Feasibility

Even if the total cost ends up being $2 billion or $4 billion, that amount cannot be paid for through local sales tax increasesor Measure D funds.
Measure D revenue is not keeping up with inflation and inflated costs for building the Rail Trail
California has many higher-priority rail projects based on ridership, environmental impact, and population served. So in the current political environment Santa Cruz County is unlikely to be competitive for major rail funding either now or in the coming decade.
Because of this, City and County planners believe that rail service is not realistic in Santa Cruz for at least 20 years.

Grant Money Is in Jeopardy

Approximately $100 million in state grant funding for Segments 8–11 is at risk.
The Rail Trail is currently about $70 million short of what is required to build the active transportation trail from the Boardwalk to State Park Drive in Aptos.
The grant to build 8-11 is the largest Active Transportation Program grant ever awarded by the California Transportation Commission (CTC).
The grant effectively requires building the entire trail (Segments 8–11). Building only part of it risks losing the funding.
Failure to deliver may jeopardize future CTC grants, undermining Santa Cruz County’s credibility as a capable project implementer.
As Lookout Santa Cruz summarized:
“Any delays or changes to the project caused by the funding issue could jeopardize at least some of a $96.6 million grant… The grant requires those stretches of the trail to start construction in 2027. If the project misses that deadline, the entire grant could be taken away… Changing the project to cut costs would likely require building less trail, which could also cause the state agency to take back some of the grant funding.”

Alternatives Discussed

Can the trail be built narrower or build a cheaper trail next to the tracks?

We asked about alternative designs involving a narrower trail, shifting the alignment closer to the rails, or removing certain design elements
Planners indicated that some cost savings might be possible (~10%), but nowhere near enough to close the $70M gap.

Can the trail be built only as much distance as the current grant will cover?

This would likely violate the CTC grant terms and risk both losing current funds and damaging the region’s ability to win future grants. The grant emphasizes the full extent of Segments 8–11, especially because of its service to disadvantaged communities.

Can the trail be built only up to Capitola?

Similarly, building only part of the segments (e.g., up to Capitola) would not meet the grant requirements and would likely require returning a significant portion of the funding.

Is the interim trail a waste of money?

“Interim” means until rail is fully funded, which planners estimate will take roughly 20 years (around 2045).
When rail funding becomes available, modifying the corridor to a full rail-with-trail configuration would be a marginal cost relative to the cost of rail itself.

What is the state of the tracks from Watsonville to Santa Cruz?

The tracks are not usable north of Harkins Slough (near Pajaro Valley High School) for either freight or passenger service. That is, no trains are able to use the tracks going north of Harkins Slough.

Does building over the tracks eliminate the possibility of rail?

No. City and county staff continue to view rail as an important future transportation mode. The interim trail does not foreclose rail.

Is the “interim trail” considered railbanking?

No. The proposal does not trigger formal federal railbanking. It is considered a temporary project, and the underlying rail designation remains.

Does the interim trail endanger the Federal Corridor ID status?

No. Interim trail construction does not jeopardize the Santa Cruz–Watsonville segment’s standing in the Federal Corridor ID program.

The rail corridor has been at the center of one of Santa Cruz County’s most persistent policy debates. Over the years, various studies, ballot measures, engineering challenges, funding opportunities, and community campaigns have shaped the options on the table. Those broader questions are still unresolved, and thoughtful people continue to disagree about the best long-term vision.

At the same time, the need for safer, more accessible routes for people walking and biking exists right now. Decisions about Segments 8–11 must navigate technical realities, funding deadlines, grant requirements, and engineering constraints.

This summary reflects the information provided by planners who are responsible for delivering the next phase of the trail, and the constraints they are working within today. As circumstances change, whether through new funding, regional priorities, political shifts, or changes in the corridor’s condition the options may evolve as well.

Bike Santa Cruz County will continue to advocate for safer, more connected active-transportation routes across the county, whatever the community ultimately decides about the future of rail. We hope this document helps ground the conversation in shared facts and supports constructive engagement as the RTC considers its next steps.

Kyle Jordan