The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved a master plan that envisions transforming a 4.9-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River into a paved corridor from Virginia Street downtown all the way south to Chynoweth Avenue.
“We’ve basically defined exactly what this project’s going to look like for its entirety,” trail network manager Yves Zsutty said in an interview after the council’s June 20 action, which capped four years of planning and collaboration among city officials, residents and other community stakeholders.
“It’s one of the big core trails in the city. These are the ones we see linking people from housing to employment and recreation,” Zsutty added. “We’re in a really good state of development in our network now.”
The trail is part of the city’s larger 100-mile trail network, which also includes the Coyote Creek Trail. The Guadalupe River Master Plan calls for a 12-foot-wide asphalt concrete trail, interconnected and loop trails, bridges, crossings at different grades, and various gateways, signage and place markers.
Heavy use of the trail is expected, especially by commuters during peak morning and evening hours. Approximately 35 to 55 percent of people the city surveyed about the trail reported commuting regularly on it, Zsutty said, “so it’s a nice addition to this system.”
The number of people using the trail is also expected to continue increasing once more neighborhoods are connected to it.
“We know we’ve got this well-used trail,” Zsutty said. “We’re adding another five miles to it that leads to a lot of residential neighborhoods. We think we’re going to see more usage on the trail.”
Zsutty said he has the numbers to support his prediction, as trail use has grown by a staggering 422 percent over the past decade.
“We used to get 250 users a day,” he said. “Now we’re doing more at about 1,100, and that’s both recreational and active transportation commuting uses.”
Although the end of the trail by Chynoweth only bumps up against his district, Councilman Johnny Khamis has been one of its biggest advocates since he was first elected.
“Even though none of this project takes place in my district, I put forward $125,00 from my council parks budget to pay for the study,” Khamis said in an interview.
Khamis, who serves on the Santa Valley Transportation Authority board of directors, doesn’t expect the project to be finished until he’s out of office but said he’s glad to have it finally reach this far.
“I’m just optimistic that we at least have the plan and we at least have the ability to pay for it with the VTA funds in Measure B,” he said, noting he had insisted on adding funding for bike trails when the transportation measure was written.
Besides seeking some of the $250 million earmarked in Measure B for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, the city also plans to use some of its park trust to help pay for the trail.
Zsutty said construction will take place in phases “as our finances allow,” while also following the flood control project timeline being kept by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Design work for the trail is expected to start later this year.
