Santa Clara holds first community meeting on Creek Trail Network master plan; consultants outline corridors, constraints and next steps

City of Santa Clara staff and consultants on Monday presented an early master-plan study for the proposed Creek Trail Network expansion, describing three corridor concepts, ownership constraints and likely design challenges and asking the public for feedback as a survey remains open through June 22.

The presentation, led by project manager Ralph Garcia, senior civil engineer with the City of Santa Clara Public Works, and principal planner Jonna Socale, summarized preliminary concepts for Calabasas Creek, the Hetch Hetchy right of way and Saratoga Creek, and emphasized that most of the land for trails is owned by other agencies or private parties. "Not much of the land that we're talking about is owned by the city of Santa Clara," Socale said, noting San Francisco Public Utilities (SFPUC), Valley Water, Caltrain, Union Pacific Railroad and private owners among stakeholders.

The master-plan phase described on-site constraints and opportunities. For Calabasas Creek the team identified five potential underpasses, three required pedestrian overcrossings (including across Highway 101, Central Expressway and Caltrain) and about six at‑grade crossings that could use existing bike improvements. Socale said the Highway 101 undercrossing is a reinforced box culvert with vertical walls and structural supports that prevent…