WATSONVILLE—A trail system that would connect Pajaro Valley High School to downtown Watsonville took another step forward Friday, gaining approval from the County Zoning Administrator.
The project, headed up by the city of Watsonville, would create a 12-foot wide, 1.4-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail that would link Lee and Harkins Slough roads, providing an alternative route for PVHS students to get to campus. It would also connect Watsonville’s various slough trails to the proposed route for the 32-mile Coastal Rail-Trail.
The project includes the construction of a bridge of the same width over Struve Slough on Lee Road near Watsonville Slough Farm, where the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (LTSC) owns more than 490 acres of farmland and wetlands and is developing its own trail system.
LTSC Conservation Director Bryan Largay at the public Zoom meeting Friday morning said the organization was in “strong support” of the project, and that the Watsonville Slough Farm for the past 10 years has welcomed PVHS students for environmental education opportunities.
“We look forward to that access being safer now and available without driving or without (the students) being at risk of walking along the road shoulder,” Largay said.
The project still has many hurdles to clear before construction can begin, but Watsonville Principal Engineer Murray Fontes says the first segment of the trail, which extends from the PVHS entrance to Watsonville Slough Farm, could start construction next year thanks to funding awarded to the city from LTSC.
Other segments, however, will be trickier, Fontes says. The city will need to work with property owners on county land to first widen Lee Road and then construct pedestrian trails alongside it.
It also has to secure funding to construct the bridge over Struve Slough.
If all goes well, completion is slated for 2026—though Fontes says that is the best-case scenario.
The trail would connect to the portion of the Coastal Rail-Trail currently under construction near the Manabe-Ow Business Park on Ohlone Parkway. When complete, that trail will begin at the intersection of Walker and W. Beach streets, run alongside the existing rail line under Highway 1 and connect to Lee Road near the newly-constructed Pajaro Dunes Center, which features the 112-room Hampton Inn & Suites.
“Connecting to the other trails, I think Watsonville is going to end up with a really enviable trail system. I think it’s a great project,” said County Principal Planner Annette Olson, who ultimately approved the project and its submitted environmental impact report.
The trail is one of two large projects the city is undergoing to improve pedestrian access to PVHS, Fontes says. A pedestrian bridge over Highway 1 at Harkins Slough Road—which during the school year is flooded daily with students coming and going to campus—is also in the works, though that project is still awaiting funding.
California Transportation Commission staff has recommended the commission approve an $11.7 million grant for the project at its upcoming March 24-25 meeting. If approved, that grant would not only help fund the overpass, but make improvements to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure around elementary and middle schools that feed into PVHS, Fontes says. In addition, the funding would also be used to provide pedestrian and cycling safety courses at those schools.
“We tried to be holistic in our approach,” Fontes said. “Not only do you build things but you try to teach people.”
Fontes said the city partnered with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Ecology Action, Caltrans and Santa Cruz County Public Works on the project.
More than 400 jurisdictions throughout the state applied for the funding. Watsonville’s proposed project received one of the highest scores of all applicants, Fontes said.
“We feel like our partnership helped us with this grant application,” he said.
