Sunnyvale advances East Channel Trail study; funding and council action still required

Sunnyvale presented refined route options and next steps for a proposed East Channel Trail in a Phase 2 virtual open house, while stressing that the study only produces a concept and implementation strategy and that construction funding has not yet been identified.

Project manager Esther Jung, City of Sunnyvale traffic engineer, and consultant Jeffrey Knowles of Alta Planning and Design outlined a corridor that would run from Homestead Road near the Cupertino–Sunnyvale border north to the San Francisco Bay Trail for about 5.5 miles, largely along the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s East Channel maintenance road. "We will get into that in just a moment. Thank you for joining us for our community meeting in phase 2 for the East Channel Trail Study in Sunnyvale," said Ivana Rosas, outreach lead for Winter Consulting, at the start of the presentation.

The study, which the presenters said was identified as a priority in an August 2020 transportation plan and funded in earlier phases through VTA Measure B and a Google donation, aims to select a feasible route, evaluate crossings,…