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Hikers, equestrians and bikers can now enjoy the oak woodlands, chirping birds and the sound of the flowing creek on the Alpine Road Regional Trail.
A project to make the land on the trail more stable for use and enjoyable for many more years to come, was completed in April. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District started the project to provide a safer route for bikers to travel from Portola Valley to Palo Alto without riding on the narrow bike lanes of the road.
Construction of the Alpine Road Regional Trail Improvement Project began in 2022 to correct road degradation and prevent erosion and sediment issues. The trail was reopened on April 25.
The trail serves as a bridge between Alpine Road in Portola Valley and Skyline Boulevard in Palo Alto. Repairs for the project cost a total of $3.6 million which was funded by Measure AA and an additional $270,000 from grants.
Measure AA was passed in 2014 to fund 25 “priority projects” for Midpen’s Vision Plan, which outlines 54 various priorities, identified by the community, to preserve the open space and to protect the natural environment. The Alpine Road trail project is one of many to be completed over the next three decades.
“This is one example where we are improving an inherited trail and road and making it more stable, less prone to storm damage and protecting the wildlife in the area,” said Leigh Ann Gessner, public affairs specialist at Midpen. “It’s also making it a lot more enjoyable for people to use.”
During the construction, a new trail segment was created, more than 200 feet of retaining walls were built and new culverts were put in place for better drainage of rainwater. Repairs will reduce erosion and falling of sediments into the creek watersheds, helping to restore the health of Corte Madera Creek and the habitat of the steelhead trout, a federally threatened species.
The trail is now “sustainable for the future,” said Gessner.
“We are delivering projects we promised on,” said Ryan McCauley. “With this project it’s about rebuilding the trail but also improving the health of the land.”
Midpen is also celebrating the 10th anniversary of Measure AA.
The completion of the project was marked with an episode of “Open Road” on June 9 on NBC Bay Area, taking viewers on a tour of the refurbished trail. From June 8 to June 14, Midpen staff will be tabling at the Alpine Road trailhead to talk to visitors about the new trail and Midpen’s projects.
For more information on Midpen and its projects funded by Measure AA visit openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/measure-aa.
They managed to remove the last bits of fun on that trail. Great job.