The Arcadia City Council approved the award of the construction contract for the Annie and Mary trail connectivity project to Granite Construction Company during the consent calendar on Wednesday.

Environmental Services Director Emily Sinkhorn told council the roughly 3.5‑mile Class I trail will connect the city’s southern and northern trail segments, extend the Bay Trail through north Arcadia, and provide a separated route to the Mad River riparian corridor. The staff presentation noted the project includes a key Caltrans‑coordinated upgrade to the 299 overpass to add pedestrian and bicycle facilities and a planned connection to new campus housing at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Sinkhorn said the city received competitive bids and recommended Granite Construction as the lowest responsible bidder. She described a project funding package that includes state grants and partnerships—Cal Poly Humboldt, the Yurok Indian Housing Authority and a Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District easement were listed in the presentation as contributors or partners.

Staff said construction was expected to begin this fall and would likely take at least two construction seasons; the southernmost section linking to new student housing was prioritized for earlier completion so students could use the route. The presentation described the effort as a multi‑year city priority with prior design, right‑of‑way and easement work completed and grants secured for construction.

The consent motion to award the contract passed without a separate roll call discussion; the contract amount was read into the record earlier in the meeting but the number in the verbal reading was garbled in the transcript and is not specified in the staff presentation included in the public record. The staff presentation lists state grant funding and partner contributions but did not present a single consolidated city expenditure figure during the meeting.

Why it matters: the trail will provide a separated walking and biking corridor linking neighborhoods, campus housing and regional trails; staff said the project is grant‑driven and will enter construction pending final contract and mobilization.

What’s next: staff will manage contractor mobilization, coordinate Caltrans overpass improvements, and work toward staged openings—staff said one early southern segment is intended to open for Cal Poly Humboldt students while full trail completion will follow in subsequent construction seasons.