Alta is working on a challenging rail-with-trail project in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area under contract with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). This project builds on our experience and expertise gained through the Rails-with-Trails: Lessons Learned study for the Federal Highway Administration, and recent rail-with-trail feasibility studies in New England and California.

Two current engineering feasibility studies will result in implementation of up to two miles of rail-with-trail within and adjacent to the region's busiest rail corridor. Alta is teamed with Questa Engineering of Point Richmond, California, under two separate contracts for two contiguous segments. Alta is the lead consultant for the second of the two projects, referred to as the Point Wilson segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail. This segment will be located entirely within the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) right-of-way.

This double-track segment is the highest volume rail line in the San Francisco Bay Area, with approximately thirty high speed trains per day, including both high volume freight and Amtrak commuter rail between the Bay Area and Sacramento. An existing agreement between the EBRPD and the UPRR provides for trail use within the outermost fifteen feet of the right-of-way on the inland side of this coastal rail line. As a part of the UPRR/Southern Pacific Railroad merger approval process, the EBRPD secured an agreement in 1996 to allow reasonable access to UPRR property to construct this segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail.

The project team is working to determine the precise biological, engineering, and operational constraints facing the project and to develop design solutions, drawings, and management agreements for implementation of the trail. Alta is providing engineering site drawings, biological documentation and permitting (Questa), barrier and other facility design, and developing a management and operations plan. Site specific issues to be addressed in this project include:

• addressing access control from the trail located on the inland side of the rail right-of-way to the shoreline;
• providing desirable access points to the shoreline, as well as strategic public access points to the rail corridor;
• ensuring ease of management and access for rail personnel, parks management staff, and local law enforcement and emergency services; and
• creating a safe and enjoyable trail environment for both local and regional trail users.

For more information about this project, contact Alta Senior Designer Ian Moore in our Berkeley office.

The vision of the Ash Creek Trail, which would connect the communities of Monmouth and Independence (Oregon), has been around for the last 35 years. While the trail has appeared on transportation planning maps, the alignment was never really given any thought beyond following the creek. In the summer of 2004, Alta Planning + Design began working on a master planning process that will provide a blueprint for the two cities to make the vision of the Ash Creek Trail a reality. The master planning process will:

• identify a preferred alignment for a 10-foot shared use path,
• document the regulatory process for procuring permits and meeting standards,
• develop cross-sections,
• identify trailhead locations, amenities, and themes for the corridor,
• design crossings that are safe and inviting for all users, and
• provide cost estimates.

The trail will serve as a major transportation connection between the cities, linking neighborhoods, cities, schools, and parks along the corridor, and providing transportation and recreational opportunities. Some of the challenges of the planning process include building a trail in the floodplain and/or floodway of a perennial creek; minimizing impact, private property issues, corridor protection, and new development; and crossing a busy state highway.

The Ash Creek Trail Master Plan will be more than simply laying out a trail alignment. The master plan will also:

• determine set-back standards for trails in riparian zones,
• treat the entire corridor as a greenway to help preserve greenspace in the urban core of the towns,
• design areas around the creek for educational outreach and learning, and
• capitalize on the high level of community involvement to develop volunteer programs to help fund, build, and maintain this great community resource.

For more information, contact Alta Planner Allison Wildman in our Portland office.