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A Class-One Bike Trail on 8th Street East Gets Funding for Planning…Finally!

After decades of discussion, a grant The Sonoma County Regional Parks Department got some good news this week: a grant from the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for $550,000 to create the plan for a new bike trail in Schellville.

The trail will use the abandoned railroad right-of-way to create a Class 1 Bike Path, a paved path located off the street for both pedestrians and cyclists.

The total cost of the completed bike trail is estimated to be $1,835,000, and the MTC grant was awarded through a competitive application process that included 20 organizations.

Additional funding will be required to purchase the land for the trail, which is currently owned by Union Pacific Railroad. The price for the land is estimated at $2 million.

Regional Parks will be hosting a public meeting to gather neighbor concerns and provide an opportunity for the public to offer their ideas and opinions.

The idea for this use of the abandoned rail line has been tossed back and forth for decades. Although it is not located within the City of Sonoma, the 8th Street rail corridor has been a topic of conversation before the City Council, as has the creation of safe sidewalks along Napa Street from the city limits to 8th Street. At present, pedestrians and cyclists are forced to walk in the busy street on muddy, unpaved shoulders. It is a segment identified in the County’s Active Transportation Plan currently under review.

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