Bike trail between Sonoma and Santa Rosa rolls along

Wheels are turning on plans for a Valley-traversing bike trail – but Sonoma cyclists shouldn’t start greasing up their chains anytime soon.

Sonoma County Regional Parks officials are working on plans to link a series of proposed and existing bike trails – so that, one day, cyclists will be able to travel safely from Schellville to Santa Rosa. But an array of metaphorical and physical roadblocks could stretch the project out for as long as 20 years, according to the project manager.

The proposed Highway 12 bike trail would be a paved 13-mile bike path alongside the highway corridor from the Springs to the outskirts of Santa Rosa. The multi-use trail would provide recreation and commuting opportunities for residents and visitors in Sonoma, the Springs area, Glen Ellen, Kenwood and Santa Rosa.

“This bicycle, pedestrian and, where appropriate, equestrian trail network will help connect schools, wineries, businesses and local shopping destinations without having to drive,” said project manager Ken Tam of Sonoma County Regional Parks.

Many cyclists currently regard the two-lane, 50-mph highway as too risky for recreational biking.

“A dedicated Highway 12 bike trail would be a world-class attraction for tourists,” said Gary Helfrich of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. “Imagine how great it would be if a visitor to Santa Rosa could hop on a bike and cycle down to Sonoma Valley for the day without worrying about dying on the road.”

This new trail has garnered wide support from the cities of Santa Rosa and Sonoma, the Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Santa Rosa Cycling Club, as well as Helfrich’s Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition.

With all this support behind them, planners have been busy examining rights of way, easements, designs, project costs and construction priorities – and gathering public feedback. More than $200,000 has been spent on a feasibility study and the public has had several opportunities to comment on the trail.

The big question is on which side of Highway 12 the trail should be located. The current preferred route includes a little back and forth, and cyclists will need to cross the highway at several existing signal lights.

The 8-foot-wide paved trail is slated to run along the west side of the highway between Melita Road and Oakmont Drive, along the east side between Oakmont and Arnold Drive in Glen Ellen and along the west side between Arnold Drive and Agua Caliente Road.

Highway 12 currently lacks a separated pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling north and south. Helfrich added, “Both Highway 12 and Arnold are death traps. You can flip a coin as to which scares you more. All that separates you from the speeding traffic right now is a piece of paint.”

According to Tam, “the goal is to identify a trail corridor that is implementable, has public and stakeholder support, and is cost effective and environmentally sustainable.” Research and planning included not only the community meetings but also written outreach to more than 800 landowners, community groups, tourism organizations, agriculture and wineries, churches and other interested parties. Commute Census statistics were also evaluated.

If the Board of Supervisors approves the plans in early February, Regional Parks will begin seeking grants to pay for an environmental review, design engineering and, eventually, trail construction.

The most recent cost estimate for the project is $24 million and the funds will come from a combination of local, state and federal grants. “We had to use more than 20 different funding sources for a similar West County project that still isn’t finished,” said Tam.

“Ken is the most creative person I know when it comes to finding funding,” said Helfrich, who was himself a former transportation planner. He defends the piecework approach of the trail plan implementation. “If Ken discovers a way to get one piece funded, whether it is through a Safe Schools match or requesting an easement from a local developer, he jumps on it.”

The Sonoma Valley Trail along Highway 12 will be under development at the same time as the Central Sonoma Valley Trail, which runs from Agua Caliente Road to Verano Avenue, and was slated to be completed last fall. Tam said that two sections will be completed this spring – one from Sonoma Creek Bridge to Main Street and one from Larson Park, through Flowery School, to Depot Road.

“The trail through the Springs is so important,” said Helfrich. “Kids will be able to safely ride their bikes to school which will take some cars off the road, and a visitor to town could easily hop on a bike and head up to El Molino for a fish taco. How great would that be?”

Funds from Measure M in 2004 provide for a quarter-cent county sales tax to build safe bicycle and pedestrian routes but, according to Tam, Measure M funds can’t be used for the Sonoma Valley Trail project. He expects that the Central Sonoma Valley Trail will, however, benefit from close to $2 million in Measure M funds.

Ultimately, all of the planned trails will connect with each other and eventually with the planned 350-mile San Francisco Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The network of Valley trails will include a mix of Class 1, 2 and 3 trails. Class 1 trails are off-street bike paths. Class 2 are dedicated bike lanes. Class 3 are on-street bike routes, typically unmarked shoulders.

The planned trails along Highway 12 and through the Springs are Class 1, dedicated trails separated from the road by a tangible barrier.

Work on these ambitious trail projects are moving excruciatingly slowly despite wide popular support. When asked if any new section of the Highway 12 trail might open in 2016, Tam laughed. He said that segments of the trail will open in phases, depending on funding, and it will be many years before it is complete. “We have been working on the Joe Rodota West County Trail from Santa Rosa to Forestville for more than 20 years and it still isn’t complete,” he said.

Email Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.