The Willow Glen Resident

Council Watch

Bulldozers herald the start of L.G. Creek Trail extension

Council is expected to OK $444,800 grant for the trail

By Cecily Barnes

While cruising the Glen this summer, the curious can swing by Blackford Elementary School and see bulldozers and cement trucks. By July, the long-awaited Los Gatos Creek Trail extension should be under way.

Although the new mile-long portion of trail won't be usable until next spring, people can at least see dirt flying and cement pouring and feel that progress is being made.

At the San Jose City Council's April 21 meeting, Blackford Elementary School granted the city permission to tear apart its property this summer to construct the trail extension and a footbridge connecting the existing trail with the extension. And at this week's council meeting, the council is expected to approve the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's $444,800 grant for the trail.

"There are basically just a couple of hurdles that we've been working through in order to begin construction," said Carla Ruigh, park planning manager for the city of San Jose. "Right now the schedule calls for us to award the construction project by June and have a significant portion completed by December, with the whole thing done by spring."

The new stretch of trail will travel along the north side of Los Gatos Creek at Meridian Avenue until just north of Willow Street, where it will continue down the bike lane on Willow and turn left on Lincoln Avenue.

Eventually, a third and final portion of the trail will connect this Willow Glen section to downtown, where the Guadalupe Park Trail begins. When all is said and done, people will be able to commute from one end of the county to the other by bike, skateboard, inline skates or foot.

"When it gets built all the way downtown, it will make it so we can get downtown without driving our car and worrying about parking," said Larry Ames, past president of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and longtime trail advocate.

The first stretch of the Los Gatos Creek Trail extending beyond Los Gatos was dug in the early 1970s and has grown from the Lexington Reservoir to San Jose. It has taken nearly three years to plan for this Willow Glen portion, due to the laborious property acquisition process.

"There are many property owners along the way, and either we need to buy the land from them, or we need permission to go through the land," Ruigh said. "We also needed an agreement with the water district to have the trail go on their land. The agreement with the water district has not been executed yet, but we're in the final stages."

All those who have worked to see this project actualized say they're relieved to see deadlines being met.

"It's all just sort of coming together," said Michelle McGurk, aide to District 6 Councilmember Frank Fiscalini.

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