When Erin O’Connor Brown looks at the fresh band of paved bicycle and pedestrian trail that stretches out from behind her elementary school, she sees a future of healthier students and of safer, reduced traffic around campus.

“I am so excited for the new portion of the multi-use trail on the east side of Highway 1,” says Erin, principal at El Granada Elementary School, at the north end of Half Moon Bay. “Giving families the option to bike or walk to and from school can really impact health and traffic patterns. I can’t wait for the trail to extend even further south and serve a greater portion of our population.”

Called the Midcoast Multimodal Trail, the recently-opened route is an example of ways agencies are stretching limited funds to provide safer and more convenient alternatives – with regional impact – to heavily trafficked roadways.

For its role in promoting biking and safety, the Midcoast Multimodal Trail has been named the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s Project of the Year. The award was given at the 2023 Silicon Valley Bike Summit.

Spearheaded by the County of San Mateo, the trail stretches for just under a mile, from Coronado Street south to Mirada Road. It provides a safe and accessible alternative to Highway 1 for residents and workers to walk or bike between El Granada and Half Moon Bay, and it will ultimately link with other trails to provide an extended alternative running far along the coast, says Nicholas Calderon, Director of County Parks and Recreation.

Aerial view of Midcoast Multimodal Trail, first segment, fully opened in March 2023. The segment runs from Coronado Street south to Mirada Road, and connects with the Coastal Trail at the north end, and a triangular connection to El Grenada Elementary School. At the south end it is to soon connect with the Naomi Patridge Trail.

This trail at its northern end now connects with the Coastal Trail. At the southern end it is to connect to Naomi Patridge Trail, in Half Moon Bay, likely in 2024. Later phases will provide further north-south connection, linking communities, jobs, schools and recreational areas along Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Miramar and Half Moon Bay.

See additional Bike Summit award winners:
2023 Professional of the Year — Kyle Wong
2023 Program of the Year — Trace Elementary Walk n’ Roll

The trail design required collaboration with multiple entities including Caltrans and funding sources, and features unique engineering elements including a creek bridge, said Krzysztof Lisaj, Deputy Director of the Engineering and Resource Protection Division for county Public Works, who oversaw the design and construction team. It opened fully in March, at a cost of about $4.5 million.

Lisaj and Calderon credited former County Supervisor Don Horsley as an early advocate of the project. And rather than treat the trail strictly as a construction effort, both said, the planning team first went into the community to understand needs. They quickly discovered that parents were eager for an alternative to Highway 1, or far more circuitous routes, for their children to get to school.

Carlene Foldenauer, Safe Routes to Schools coordinator for Cabrillo Unified School District, and one of those to nominate the trail as Project of the Year, said the district has been working with the county toward the trail for many years. The opening segment is a big win for the community — and folks look forward to future extensions, she said.

“Although the complete trail could be years away, many coastsiders will eventually have a safe way to walk or bike to schools, shops, and other community facilities and events,” she said. “This is especially significant for high school and middle school students that live in communities such as Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada, but attend schools in Half Moon Bay.”

The parallel route as an alternative to Highway 1 is most welcome, says Marin Holt, a Half Moon Bay resident, San Mateo County teacher, and founder of Coastside on Bikes, which advocates for bicycle safety and access.

“We are really excited about this new section of the Mid-Coast Trail and are looking forward to the additional segments that should be completed in the next 1-2 years,” says Holt. “It will provide an important corridor of connectivity for workers and students, who will use it to commute to schools, downtown Half Moon Bay, and areas south of Miramar.”