Mark West Creek Trail - Background

Project Background

The Mark West Creek Trail is an identified project in the 2010 Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The project was initiated in partnership with the Mark West Union School District and County Safe Routes to School to promote healthy living. The trail will provide students a pathway to bike or walk to and from Mark West Elementary School.

Project Description

The project is to construct a 1.3-mile trail along the Mark West Creek corridor from the proposed SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) Trail to Old Redwood Highway. The Mark West Creek Trail is located south of Windsor and north of Santa Rosa in Supervisorial District 4. The 8-foot-wide paved trail will provide west-east connections to the airport industrial area, Larkfield-Wikiup, Maddux Ranch Park, and Mark West Elementary School.

• The first phase includes construction of a 0.32-mile trail from Fulton Road to Old Redwood Highway.
• From Fulton Road to Hop Ranch Road, the trail will be located within an existing 20-foot wide public easement.
• From Lavell Road to Old Redwood Highway, the trail will be on public road right of way and public school property.

Additional studies are needed to determine the exact location of the trail segment between the SMART Trail and Fulton Road.

Project partners include the Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works Department, Department of Health Services, and Mark West Union School District. 

Project Funding

The estimated construction cost from Fulton Road to Old Redwood Highway is $395,000. Regional Parks requested funding from the One Bay Area Grant program in 2012, but the request was denied. No additional funding has been secured for this project at this time.

Regional Parks staff will apply for grant funds when available to complete the environmental work, design and engineering, and construction.