Work has started on a lengthy trail for pedestrians and bicyclists along sections of Harkins Slough and Lee roads near Pajaro Valley High School.
Watsonville Principal Patrice Theriot said the City contracted Monterey Peninsula Engineering to construct Phase 1 of the “Lee Road Trail” project.
Designed by Mesiti-Miller Engineering, the $1.7 million first phase is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.
Plans call for a 2,000-linear-foot, 8-foot-wide multi-use trail and dedicated bike lanes. The path begins at Pajaro Valley High School and terminates at a crosswalk connecting to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s Watsonville Slough Farm.
Separately, the Slough Farm plans to build its own 5-mile public trail network on its property.
Phase 1 also features the installation of new guardrails, curbs, gutters, curb ramps, high-visibility crosswalks, and signage from the high school driveway to the Lee Road intersection. Four culverts to manage water runoff underneath the new trail and informational signs highlighting the surrounding environment are also in the works.
Additional work, still awaiting approval, calls for extending the trail across Struve Slough via a new pedestrian bridge, terminating at the Watsonville Slough on Lee Road.
