On April 21, 2016 the City of Arcata’s Arcata City Trail and Foster Avenue Extension project was named the 2015 Project of the Year by the North Coast Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Arcata City Trail forms the northern end of the planned 13-mile long Humboldt Bay Trail which will run between Eureka and Arcata and provide transportation, recreation and coastal access opportunities for the public. The Foster Avenue Extension project diverts traffic from adjacent residential areas and creates an east-west commuter and truck arterial route in central Arcata and a more direct connection between Highway 101 and Alliance Road. Both projects were designed by GHD with the aim of improving the livability and sustainability of the area.
Funding for the project was provided by California State Transportation Improvements Program (STIP) funds and Arcata General Fund “Measure G” tax revenue. The Foster Avenue Extension was originally planned by the City in the mid 1970s when the need for the traffic route was determined. Funding was finally approved in 2002, but due to numerous State budget shortfalls and because the project is off the state highway system, construction was delayed until 2015.
“The Foster Avenue Extension is probably the only major new road we will see constructed in Arcata in the foreseeable future,” says Arcata City Engineer Doby Class. “This project best demonstrates a model multi-modal project that will be a major improvement in transportation across our City.”
The Foster Avenue Extension was constructed by Mercer-Fraser Company at a cost of $2,028,013. The Arcata City Trail from Samoa Boulevard to Foster Avenue was constructed by McCullough Construction for $1,241,080.
The American Society of Civil Engineers San Francisco Section North Coast Branch presented the award to the City of Arcata at an award ceremony at the Plaza View Room in the Jacoby Storehouse.