CAPITOLA >> Planning at a couple of high-profile transportation corridors in Capitola will be scrutinized this week by city leaders and the viewing public.

At its meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, the Capitola City Council will share its preferences when it comes to planning options along Park and Bay avenues.

Park Avenue is a critical arterial road for vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic that is the focus of an ongoing traffic calming project from the city. But it’s also a key component of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s long-planned Coastal Rail Trail project, or rail trail. The project seeks to establish a 32-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail primarily alongside the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line that traverses the county.

Segments 10 and 11 of the rail trail, spearheaded by the county in collaboration with the transportation commission, run from 17th Avenue to State Park Drive. According to the city’s staff report, the county Board of Supervisors approved an alignment for the pair of segments last April that placed the trail on the coastal side of the tracks between Monterey Avenue and Coronado Street.

That alignment comes with a significant construction component, including about 2,450 feet of retaining walls and 570 feet of viaducts. But as costs rise, the agencies now propose shifting Segment 11 of the trail from between Monterey Avenue and Coronado Street to the Park Avenue right-of-way — a proposal that is supported by city staff.

Planning for the segments has come under fire for months by a group of residents that believe the county and commission’s plan to divert the trail away from the rail line violates Measure L, passed by voters in 2018. The measure added a section to city code, Chapter 8.72 Greenway Capitola Corridor, encouraging development of the trail within the rail line corridor, according to the staff report.When the city received an update on segment planning last March, a group of community members filed a formal complaint with the city, claiming it willfully violated the code by allowing the plans to move forward.

For its part, the city has rejected accusations that the trail design is in violation of Measure L, explaining in the staff report that taking “all steps necessary to preserve and utilize the Corridor and Trestle for active transportation and recreation,” as specified in the code, is exactly what it is doing by supporting a viable trail project.

Moreover, the city disputes the notion that current trail planning meets the definition of a “detour.” Expending funds on a trail detour within Capitola streets and sidewalks would be a violation of the municipal code, per the staff report.

Bay Avenue corridor

The council will also weigh its options for long-term improvements along the Bay Avenue corridor that leads to Highway 1, including a staff-recommended roundabout geared toward safety and traffic improvements.

The council implemented a “quick build” project at the Bay Avenue and Hill Street intersection last year that was meant as a test run for safety enhancements. The council voiced an intention to backtrack on some of the changes after receiving a flood of negative public feedback concerning increased traffic.

As part of the ongoing Bay Avenue Corridor Study that takes a broader look at the busy thoroughfare, the council will decide between three options for implementing more permanent solutions including stop control and a road diet, signal control and roundabout control. City staff recommended converting Bay Avenue intersections at Hill Street and Capitola Avenue to single-lane roundabouts.