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Victoria committee outlines trail upgrades, urges clearer public communication on gaps and costs
Summary
Committee members reviewed upcoming transportation projects that will close some trail gaps, discussed a trail maintenance plan and funding limits (noting some gaps require expensive boardwalks), and recommended clearer public updates, alternative‑route maps and signage to reduce confusion.
City of Victoria staff and Parks & Recreation Committee members on Aug. 18 reviewed a slate of transportation and trail projects that will affect local trails, discussed gap prioritization and funding constraints, and recommended stronger public communication about timelines and costs.
Jenna Smith summarized projects tied to larger street efforts — including Highway 5 work that will add safety improvements near Rolling Acres and Bavaria Road, a new trail on east Bavaria Road, and pedestrian under/overpasses (including a 78th Street overpass and an underpass at Meline Creek) meant to improve connections to the regional trail. "We're going to have safety improvements along the Rolling Acres and Bavaria Road between that interlock and 78th Street," she said.
Staff described completed in‑house work (trail replacements and overlays), and said the parks maintenance team is building a formal trail maintenance plan modeled on the city's street maintenance approach. The committee noted many remaining trail gaps involve significant barriers — right‑of‑way acquisition, wetlands and expensive boardwalks — and that some gaps may take years to fund and build.
Committee members and staff discussed how to keep the public informed while some projects have little near‑term activity. Suggestions included posting alternative routes so trail users can see usable detours, placing signs at gap locations reading "this is a trail gap — learn more," publishing a quarterly or annual "year in review" update on completed work, and showing the prioritization criteria and scoring used to rank projects. One member urged transparency on costs and hurdles so residents understand why some projects appear far down a schedule.
A funding detail noted in the meeting: staff said trail connections are not typically supported by bonding and are paid in cash from available fund balance. As one member summarized the historic estimate, there was previously an approximate $20 million total of trail gap projects spread over multiple decades, underscoring long time horizons for full network completion.
Public comment and follow up: Tammy Leonetti of the Lake Bridge neighborhood asked about a cleared segment near Cray Lakes and whether that Lake Bridge connection would be completed; staff asked Tammy to submit photos and a parks concern form so staff can confirm ownership (city vs. county) and follow up. Staff also asked that residents use the online concern form to create a record that staff can track.
What happens next: staff will continue coordinating trail gap work with transportation projects, pursue opportunities to pair trail work with road projects to reduce costs, and implement improved public communications (project pages, newsletters and signage) so residents can track status and alternatives.
