Cerrito Creek Bay Trail Connector Feasibility Study, Albany, California
Alta was selected by the City of Albany to prepare a detailed design-level master plan to guide the implementation of this community pathway in three separate cities. The proposed pathway will connect two important shared-use trails in the East Bay – the popular Ohlone Greenway, paralleling the BART right-of-way, and the San Francisco Bay Trail. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Bay Trail program provided project funding for the Cerrito Creek Master Plan, demonstrating the regional importance of the facility and the need to provide a multiple-use, accessible pathway. The Master Plan addresses a range of neighborhood-specific challenges including crossing of San Pablo Avenue (SR123), flooding and structural engineering issues along the creek, design for sight-impaired residents of the California State Orientation Center for the Blind, and privacy and vandalism concerns from neighboring property owners. The proposed pathway will parallel a long-neglected urban creek and an isolated urban forest, both currently being restored by several active community groups. Because these groups and many other stakeholders are critical to the future success in implementation and management of the trail, Alta actively included them in the planning and design process. Alta also worked to develop a detailed implementation and management plan for all three local jurisdictions along the proposed alignment.
