Bob Jones bike trail gets $18 million to link SLO to the beach. Here’s what is in store
San Luis Obispo County can finally move forward with planned construction of a 4.5-mile leg of the Bob Jones City-to-Sea Bike Trail, thanks to a substantial grant from the state.
The funding clears the way to connect the popular trail’s Avila Beach parking hub to the Octagon Barn staging area in San Luis Obispo.
The California Active Transportation Program award, determined Wednesday, will fund the total cost of the project, estimated at $18.25 million, said Nick Franco, San Luis Obispo County’s Parks and Recreation director.
The anticipated completion date is in 2025, with some additional design and planning steps remaining, such as right-of-way land acquisitions.
San Luis Obispo County officials and local bicycling advocates tried for years to win state funding to connect the stretch of the trail from Ontario Road near Highway 101 in Avila Beach to the Octagon Barn on South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo, less than a mile south of Trader Joe’s grocery store.
The grant is considered a critical piece in bringing the project to fruition that will allow bicyclists, joggers and walkers to safely travel from San Luis Obispo to the beach on a pathway separated from cars.
The trail is expected to be used for recreation, exercise, nature watching and commuting to work between San Luis Obispo and South County, said Kaila Dettman, executive director of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.
“This is the culmination of decades of efforts by so many different people,” said Dettman, whose nonprofit organization operates the Octagon Barn. “This is the needed piece of the path trail that will connect to the ocean. This will make dreams a reality. The funding means so much to the project.”
Bob Jones trail project would link SLO to the beach
In February, California Transportation Committee staff recommended that the agency approve the the $18.25 million award for the Bob Jones bike trail project. But the allocation still required support at a two-day meeting, held Wednesday and Thursday, which it received.
The project is designed with “a safe crossing from the Ontario Road park ‘n’ ride lot under U.S. Highway 101,” according to a February news release issued by the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.
It would also eliminate two at-grade crossings — San Luis Bay Drive and Clover Ridge Lane — and avoid the north and southbound on-and off-ramps on U.S. Highway 101 at South Higuera Street, where there is a history of collisions, SLOCOG said in its press release.
Franco said that environmental impact review and initial planning work are completed.
“We have preliminary design and are in the process of developing the full construction documents,” Franco said. “Because there are federal transportation dollars involved, we cannot begin negotiations regarding right-of-way acquisition until we are at 60% of our construction documents.”
“We are nearing that point now and will move into right-of-way negotiations in the near future as our next step,” Franco added. “We already have agreement from 90% of the properties in the area supporting this trail.”
Cycling, walking path to stretch alongside nature areas
Once the missing stretch of the Bob Jones trail is built, Dettman said that the public will be able to better enjoy existing natural areas that the Land Conservancy operates and has worked to preserve, including creek sections, an apple orchard and “a beautiful wetland with frogs and birds that ‘helps us tell story of conservation.’”
Trail users wishing to park their vehicles and use their bikes can do so at the Octagon Barn staging area, which was a critical piece of the grant’s success, Dettman said.
“I’m excited to connect people to everything in between SLO and the beach,” Dettman said.
The Bob Jones trail takes its name from an environmental advocate with “a lifelong interest in protecting natural habitat and the environment” who served on the Land Conservancy’s board of trustees.
Planning steps for new SLO trail leg
An additional leg of the Bob Jones trail connecting the Octagon Barn to a stretch at Los Osos Valley Road in San Luis Obispo also remains in the works, requiring additional funding.
“The portion of the trail from the Octagon Barn to Los Osos Valley Road is in the planning stages,” said Adam Fukushima, SLO’s active transportation manager, via email. “An environmental analysis including a preferred alignment adjacent to the creek has already been approved for it. The project is listed in our just recently adopted Active Transportation Plan, which states that if the County were to secure funding for its portion of the trail to Avila Beach, then this project would be made into a high priority.”
Fukushima said the preliminary cost estimate for this segment would be about $1.5 million.
Fukushima said a possibility for development the trail section might include a development agreement on the agricultural field where the trail would be located.
If it were to be developed and the city could coordinate with the developer to include the trail as a condition of project. So far no applications have been received but that could change, Fukushima said.
“If the city gets to a point where it sees importance to pursuing the project on its own, it would allocate funding through the biennial budget process and consider any possible outside grants,” said Fukushima, noting the project is part of the SLO’s recently adopted Active Transportation Plan.
Fukushima added: “It would be a nice addition to the city’s bicycle and pedestrian network. Next year we will see construction begin on the Buckley Road extension to South Higuera as part of the Avila Ranch development. That will create a new intersection at Buckley Road and South Higuera, which would tie in nicely to the Octagon Barn to Los Osos Valley Road segment of the Bob Jones.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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