San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail Reach 3 Completion Celebrated With

By Robert Haugh

Inching closer to finalizing a vision of City residents of having an abundant, thriving bicycle and pedestrian trail winding through the City and stretching into other communities, City leaders, prominent City visionaries, and many community members and bicyclists enjoyed a beautiful Friday morning breeze, celebrating the grand opening of Reach 3 of the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail.

Spanning approximately 1.25 miles, extending from Scott Blvd., to Monroe along the west bank of the San Tomas Aquino Creek, with undercrossings at Central Expressway, Walsh and the Caltrain railroad tracks, like the other portions of the trail, it is paved, with signing and striping, directional and interpretive signs, retaining walls with art panels, drainage systems, fencing and railings.

An at-grade crossing now provides a signalized traffic crossing for trail users to safely cross Monroe, connecting them to the Creek Trailhead where there is a parking lot. Existing Reaches 1 and 2 combined with Reach 3 total approximately 3.85 miles of trail.

“Even in tough times, we’re making things happen in our wonderful City,” says Council member Kevin Moore, who Mayor Patricia Mahan invited to speak --- who she considers the ‘founder of the creek trail.’

Reach 4 of the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail will extend an additional 1,000 feet from the Creek Trailhead to Cabrillo Avenue and connect to existing on-street bicycle lanes on Cabrillo and is expected to be completed later this year.

Upon completion, bicycle and pedestrian trail users will have a continuous recreational trail extending from the San Francisco Bay Trail near Highway 237 to Prospect Road in San Jose. The 12-mile trail will traverse approximately five miles of Creek corridors and seven miles of local streets, connecting with parks, open space facilities, employment centers, transit systems and residential areas.

The first three segments (Reach 1, 2, and 3) of the Creek Trail are open and provide a walking, running, and bicycling trail extending south from the San Francisco Bay Trail to Monroe Street. A public parking lot at the Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club, 5155 Stars & Stripes Drive, provides free parking and trail access. There is another parking lot, the Monroe Street Staging Area, located on Monroe Street just west of San Tomas Expressway. Both parking lots are City-maintained.

Reach 1 of the Creek Trail extends south from the San Francisco Bay Trail to Agnew Road. In Reach 1, undercrossings are provided at Highway 237, Old Mountain View-Alviso Road, Great America Parkway, and Tasman Drive in order to provide a continuous trail without users crossing busy streets.

Reach 2 of the Creek Trail extends south from Agnew Road to Scott Boulevard. This segment with undercrossings at Mission College Boulevard, State Highway 101 and Scott Boulevard was opened for public use in May 2006.

Undercrossings may be subject to periodic closures during the rainy seasons when they are inundated by the water levels in the creek. For information on closures of the trail for maintenance or weather, call (408) 615-3080.