Bob Jones Trail expansion awaits approval

The effort to complete an 8-mile pathway linking San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach will reach a crucial milestone Tuesday when county supervisors are expected to approve plans to build the final segment of the Bob Jones City to the Sea Pathway.

During their afternoon session, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will vote whether to approve the trail’s environmental documents and give its formal blessing to proceed with construction of a 4.5-mile segment of the trail from the Octagon Barn on South Higuera Street, just south of the San Luis Obispo city limit, to the trail’s Ontario Road parking lot.

Super visor Adam Hill, whose district includes the trail, said the project enjoys widespread support and he expects it will be easily approved. When complete, the new segment will connect existing segments in San Luis Obispo to a 3-mile trail from the Ontario Road parking lot to Avila Beach.

“The Bob Jones Trail is such a beloved part of the community, there is areal desire to see it move forward,” Hill said.

Helene Finger, of the group Friends of the Bob Jones Trail, said she is expecting a good turnout at Tuesday’s hearing to reinforce public support for the project. The group has been sending out email notifications, urging its members to write letters to supervisors and attend the hearing.

“Our top goal is to complete the trail,” she said.

Shaun Cooper, senior county parks planner, said construction of the trail is expected to cost $10 million. Work on the first section from the Octagon Barn to Clover Ridge Lane could begin as early as 2017.

No completion date has been set because the county has to negotiate access easements with 17 property owners along the trail’s route. That work will begin once supervisors approve the project.

Tuesday’s hearing is also important because it will allow the county to begin negotiating with state and federal transportation officials to obtain grants to pay for the project, Cooper said. Caltrans’ Active Transportation Program, which funds alternative transportation projects, is a possible funding source.

The county began planning the trail’s final segment in 2010. Progress has been slow because the trail route had to be realigned several times to address safety issues and public concerns, Cooper said. For example, a stretch of the trail near San Luis Obispo had to be realigned to avoid two crossings of South Higuera Street.

The trail also was redesigned to avoid a bridge overcrossing of Highway 101. Instead, tunnel under-crossings will be built beneath Highway 101 and San Luis Bay Drive.

“Since this is a linear project involving multiple landowners, it’s a more complicated process than just developing a standalone park,” Cooper said.

The Bob Jones pathway is what recreational planners call a Class I trail. That means it is a 12-foot-wide paved trail, separate from roads and streets, which is dedicated to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The trail will run parallel to San Luis Obispo Creek and Highway 101 and will include three bridge crossings over the creek. Currently, bicyclists must ride on roads to get from San Luis Obispo to the trail’s Ontario Road entrance.

“The proposed project will provide an improved and safer route for bicyclists and new opportunities for pedestrians, encouraging greater use by families and users of all ages and abilities,” states a county description of the project. “The proposed project will be in a more compatible setting with approximately 50 percent of the route adjacent to orchards and fields.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 4:14 AM with the headline "Bob Jones Trail expansion awaits approval."