Oceanside’s final piece of county’s Coastal Rail Trail taking shape

Oceanside’s final segment of the Coastal Rail Trail is on track to go to the city’s Planning Commission in August and then to the California Coastal Commission for approval later this year.

Construction could begin in 2026 on the half-mile segment from Oceanside Boulevard south through Buccaneer Park to a connection at South Myers Street, said Kymberly Corbin, a senior civil engineer and the project manager.

The project includes the installation of a prefabricated, steel-truss bridge for cyclists and pedestrians next to the railroad span across Loma Alta Creek in the park. The bridge has been the one bump in the road and the main reason the segment remains incomplete.

“It’s all because of this bridge, and how expensive it is and how many agencies are involved,” Corbin said.

Oceanside recently applied for a federal Department of Transportation Safe Streets for All grant that could provide most of the estimated $14 million needed for construction, she said, during a recent meeting at City Hall to update residents on the project’s progress and listen to their ideas.

The 275-foot-long, 14-foot wide, pedestrian bridge will be on the western side of the railroad bridge separated by 17.5 feet. The bridge will be assembled at a factory as two pieces, one 175 feet long and the other 100 feet long, then trucked to the park and lifted into place.

“The reason for that is we’re working over a creek and wetlands, and need to reduce the environmental impact,” said the city’s consultant, Mary Westrum, a senior engineer with Dokken Engineering of San Diego.

The walkway of the pedestrian bridge will be a few feet lower than the deck of the railroad bridge and will include a viewing platform overlooking the wetlands toward the nearby beach.

At the northern end of the pedestrian bridge, a ramp will be built down the hillside to the trails along the lagoon with connections to the nearby beach or east to South Coast Highway.

Most of the people at Tuesday’s meeting were excited about the rail trail and eager to see it completed, Corbin said. Most were cyclists, and some brought their children.

“The one concern (most often expressed) is about the interaction between e-bikes, bikes, pedestrians, people with strollers and things like that,” she said.

The bridge and the ramp will be ADA compliant and open to everyone, even skateboarders, Corbin said.

Planners are considering safety factors to add in the final design, she said. For instance, people on bicycles or skateboards may be asked to dismount and walk down the ramp into Buccaneer Park.

Two other projects, separate but related, have been fully funded and are expected to start soon at the park.

One is the environmental restoration of 6 acres of wetlands along the Loma Alta Creek that flows through Buccaneer Park. The work will include the excavation of the creek channel and the removal of invasive plants to improve water circulation and quality.

The habitat restoration will include more than 1,500 feet of nature trails with educational signs and connections to the park and the Coastal Rail Trail.

Also in the works is the renovation of the 4-acre park’s small cafe, restroom building, parking lot, benches, basketball court and playground equipment.

Oceanside’s segment of the Coastal Rail Trail is part of a route that eventually will extend about 42 miles from the Oceanside Transit Center to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.

Regional planners at the San Diego Association of Governments first proposed the rail trail in the 1990s.

Also part of SANDAG’s plan is a 21-mile Inland Rail Trail that connects to the coastal trail. The inland trail goes along the Sprinter rail route from the Oceanside Transit Center through Vista and San Marcos to the Escondido Transit Center.

Both the inland and coastal trails are partially complete. In some spots, logistics have forced the route away from the tracks and onto side streets. Parts of the coastal trail, for example, diverge from the railroad and follow the old Highway 101, which has a different name in most of the cities it crosses.

A segment of the coastal route between Oceanside Boulevard and Wisconsin Avenue in Oceanside is a separate, stand-alone bike and pedestrian trail completed in 2014 for $2.45 million.

South of the missing segment through Buccaneer Park, an older section of the trail goes south along Myers Street to Cassidy Street. From Cassidy it zig-zags on neighborhood streets to the 101, there called South Coast Highway, and crosses the Buena Vista Lagoon into Carlsbad.

Just across the Carlsbad, border the rail trail officially splits onto State Street through Carlsbad’s Village neighborhood to Oak Avenue. However, many cyclists, especially the more accomplished riders, stay on the 101, there known as Carlsbad Boulevard, for the faster and more scenic ride along the coast instead of taking the rail trail.

Carlsbad completed another separated 0.7-mile portion of the official rail trail between Oak Avenue and Tamarack Avenue several years ago. That portion of the trail is more heavily used by joggers, casual walkers and recreational bikers. Additional Carlsbad segments are planned.

Encinitas completed a 1.3-mile piece of the rail trail in 2019 that connects its downtown area with Swami’s Beach and Cardiff to the north.

Solana Beach finished its entire piece of the Coastal Rail Trail in 2004.

The 1.7-mile segment along the west side of the tracks is a stand-alone bikeway for riders of all abilities, also pedestrians and joggers. The city won awards for its design, landscaping and artwork.