Arcata approves license agreement with Great Redwood Trail Agency for Annie & Mary connector

The Arcata City Council on April 16 approved a license agreement with the Great Redwood Trail Agency to build and maintain the Arcata Annie & Mary Trail connector through the rail-banked corridor and other city properties.

The agreement formalizes site control for a roughly 3.5-mile trail segment that will link the city skate park and northern neighborhoods to Cal Poly Humboldt, downtown Arcata and regional trail segments, city staff said. The council voted to authorize the city manager to execute the license agreement.

City Environmental Services Director Emily Sinkhorn told the council the majority of the new trail will run inside the Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) rail-banked corridor and on parcels the agency owns in fee. The project includes improvements to the Giuntoli Lane overpass across State Route 299 and an easement near Mad River Park 1 with the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. “The trail will provide access from Valley West and the Aldergrove business area to downtown and Cal Poly,” Sinkhorn said.

Hannah Barty, representing the Great Redwood Trail Agency on Zoom, thanked Arcata for the partnership and said the completed corridor will be part of a longer regional network that ultimately links Humboldt Bay to areas farther south. “With this Arcata Annie and Mary Trail completion, once complete, there will be more than 18 miles connecting the north part of Arcata all the way down toward southern Eureka,” Barty said.

Council members highlighted the project’s long history in the region and praised the work of staff and volunteers. The license agreement includes a “trail removal” clause that would apply in the unlikely event the Federal Surface Transportation Board authorized revival of rail service on the corridor; council staff said that clause is standard for rail-to-trail conversions.

City staff said the project has secured or is pursuing Active Transportation Program construction funding and is finalizing right-of-way documents to support a planned construction start in fall 2025 and multi-year construction through 2026–27. Maintenance responsibilities for the new segment will sit with the city; staff said recent additions to the environmental services crew and local volunteers will assist ongoing upkeep.

The council voted in favor of the motion to approve the license agreement and to authorize the city manager to execute applicable documents. No dissent was recorded.

Plans and project information are posted on the city website, and staff said the city will continue outreach with adjacent property owners and partner agencies as design and permitting move forward.