McKinleyville Multimodal Connections Project

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The County of Humboldt has been funded through a Caltrans sustainable transportation planning grant for the McKinleyville Multimodal Connections Project to engage community members including local businesses, McKinleyville residents, youth, seniors, non-English speakers, veterans and those with limited mobility to create a plan with concept designs for safe walking and bicycling connectivity between McKinleyville and community destinations to the south around Humboldt Bay. Walking and bicycling infrastructure is lacking in the project area which includes the proposed Town Center mixed-use development and areas south connecting across the Mad River to Arcata. Pedestrians and cyclists currently have no other option than to navigate the complex Highway 101 interchange or travel 2.5 miles in the opposite direction to access the Hammond Trail Bridge over the Mad River. Community members, including the informal McKinleyville Trails Group, and County staff have been working together for several years to address the deficiencies in non-motorized travel options in the project area and after several efforts the County was awarded Caltrans funding to support the development of a plan with proven solutions that will create multimodal connections and safer roads for all modes of transportation. The County is partnering with Redwood Community Action Agency to lead robust public participation to hear how community members would like to improve safety and connectivity in the project area. Mark Thomas & Associates, a Transportation Planning firm has also been contracted by the County to review, compile and analyze current opportunities and constraints for walking and bicycling and develop a report with concept designs showcasing potential multimodal improvements between northern Arcata and southern McKinleyville developed from the public’s input and consistent with the County’s Regional Transportation Plan, adopted County plans and design standards. In order to focus on and prioritize the needs of disadvantaged communities and promote solutions that integrate community values, capacity and need with transportation safety, outreach targets have been selected for this project based on current demographic data from the US Census for the project area.

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