DEL REY OAKS – The Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway project’s Canyon Del Rey Segment through the city of Del Rey Oaks this week will see the continued excavations for sanitary sewer and bridge construction along Highway 218 between Carlton Drive and the Frog Pond Wetland Preserve.
Carlton Drive is expected to remain closed between Highway 218 and Work Avenue through March due to impacts from recent storms. Emergency vehicles and residents of the south end of Carlton will have access to their residences via Quendale Avenue or Highland Street.
The Canyon Del Rey Segment is a 1.5-mile portion of the FORTAG project and is the first leg of what is envisioned as an approximately 28-mile continuous 12-foot-wide paved bicycle and pedestrian trail with an open-space buffer on both sides. This first portion is being constructed to run from the intersection of North Fremont and Canyon Del Rey boulevards in Del Rey Oaks through Work Memorial and Del Rey parks, under Highway 218 — via a new roadway bridge being constructed to carry vehicles using the highway — and into the corner of the Frog Pond Wetland Preserve, back up to Highway 218 at Carlton Drive and on to Plumas Avenue, where it ends at Del Rey Woods Elementary School in Seaside.
Once the bridge on Canyon Del Rey Boulevard — Highway 218 — is built, it will enable hikers, cyclists and pedestrians to move freely under the highway through a 10.5-foot-high passageway connecting the parks to the preserve.
Construction of the Canyon Del Rey Segment of the FORTAG Project is being done in phases and different areas of the project will be affected at different times. As the project moves forward, residents and businesses will be provided additional notifications in advance of bridge foundation work — pile driving — and work that restricts driveway access. Construction of the FORTAG project through Del Rey Oaks is expected to last through the fall.
Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. No pile driving will occur at night. The contractor’s plan is to limit the majority of work between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Access to Work Memorial Park, the Butterfly Garden and tennis courts will be restricted during construction. The Frog Pond Wetland Preserve is closed for the remainder of stage one construction and is expected to reopen in August.
The Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway is part of a larger effort to connect communities in and around the former Fort Ord to each other and to education, employment, community and recreation centers. FORTAG is a proposed new paved regional active transportation route that will serve as a safe pedestrian and bicycle corridor connecting Seaside, Marina, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey and unincorporated community residents to Cal State Monterey Bay, the Fort Ord National Monument and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail. FORTAG will connect to the existing Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail and will provide connections to unpaved trails in the Fort Ord National Monument. The route includes spurs connecting with existing and planned bike/pedestrian infrastructure. Several sections of the paved trail will link to nearby unpaved trails.
In March 2024, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, the lead agency on the project, signed a contract with Graniterock Company for $17,994,608 for construction of the Canyon Del Rey Segment of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway project, according to TAMC documents.
The TAMC Board approved the use of State and Measure X funds budgeted for the project in the not-to-exceed amount of $17.9 million and a $2.7 million contingency fund for unforeseen circumstances. It also authorized the executive director to take such other future actions as may be necessary to fulfill the intent of the contract, including approvals of future modifications or amendments that do not significantly alter the scope of work, or change the approved contract amount or term.
Funding sources include a State Active Transportation Program grant of $9,181,000, and $11,513,608 from Measure X, the vehicle created to fund transportation safety and mobility projects in Monterey County that was approved by 67.7% of voters in November 2016.
For information about the FORTAG project or to sign up for updates, visit https://www.tamcmonterey.org/fort-ord-regional-trail-greenway-canyon-del-rey or email 79829@publicinput.com.
