A extension of the West Little Llagas Creek Trail is expected to
be finished by summer 2008, giving joggers and bicyclists more room
to roam.
Morgan Hill – A extension of the West Little Llagas Creek Trail is expected to be finished by summer 2008, giving joggers and bicyclists more room to roam.
The existing asphalt trail, which is quite short, follows the edge of West Little Llagas Creek between Edes Court and Edmundson Avenue next to the Centennial Recreation Center. The new segment will connect to the existing trail and will include paths on both sides of the creek between La Crosse Drive and Watsonville Road.
Morgan Hill Associate Engineer Dave Gittleson said the work should be completed by summer 2008. The city has an $80,000 grant application pending to help pay for the project, which has already cost $100,000 to design. Additional funding could come from a $543,000 grant the city applied for last year from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The VTA has given its approval and has forwarded the request to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The city’s match would be about $150,000. The total estimated construction cost is $600,000, not including design work.
The project is encumbered with details, Gittleson added, including Caltrans’ guidelines for width, obstacle clearance and shoulders. Plans for the trail also include wooden benches, ornamental trees and rest areas. There’s also an intent to add sculptures of wild animals that blend with the habitat, such as Evelyn Davis’ bobcat sculpture near the Centennial Recreation Center.
The city also plans to extend the trail to the north, from Edes Court to Spring Street. Gittleson said the city is waiting for the Santa Clara Valley Water District to purchase additional property along the banks of the creek between Edes Court and Cosmo Avenue. Most of the existing right of way is owned and maintained by the water district.
The city hopes to complete the segment by 2010.
“It takes a year to do the design and environmental work,” Gittleson said. “We’re trying to build it as fast as we can but there are a lot of restrictions. Projects usually take a year to build but this one takes a little longer.”
Requirements include obtaining permits from the U.S. Fish and Game Department and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
