The City of Sacramento will soon begin construction on a new multi-use path, furthering efforts to create a continuous, accessible river-trail network.
The Two Rivers Trail Phase 2 project will create more than two miles of paved pathway along the south bank of the Lower American River.
The $7 million project will provide a vital link between H Street and Sutter’s Landing Park into the Central City and support the City’s ongoing work to increase the ways people can safely walk, run and cycle throughout Sacramento.
“Our construction start is thanks to over 13 years of staff effort and coordination with numerous partners to increase our shared-use trail mileage and continue making our communities friendly for people of all ages and abilities to access our riverfronts and to use alternative travel modes,” said Adam Randolph, project manager and senior engineer with the City’s Department of Public Works.
Public Works staff on March 8 were joined by Mayor Darrell Steinberg and former councilmember Jeff Harris, along with community members in the River Park neighborhood, for a public groundbreaking event.
“I am proud to break ground today on the Two Rivers Trail in River Park — a project that advances our city’s goals to address climate change and reduce air pollution,” Steinberg said. “By expanding our active transportation network, we can incentivize people to choose alternate modes of travel and reduce cars on our road.”
“The Two Rivers Trail will create a safe alternative transportation route for pedestrians and cyclists between Sacramento State and midtown,” Harris said. “It is in a beautiful river corridor and will be a great amenity for Sacramento.”
The construction contract was approved by City Council in December 2023 and awarded to Martin Brothers Construction. Work is expected to officially begin in the next two weeks and will be constructed in phases to align with partner projects in the area.
Staff have worked with Caltrans and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to coordinate the concurrent construction of the Two Rivers Trail with the State Route 51 Bridge Widening and the USACE bank protection project (Contract 1 and Contract 3a).
Funding for the Two Rivers Trail Phase 2 was secured through Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds, the state Active Transportation Program, and federal Earmark Repurposing funds. Local sources include New Measure A and Transportation Development Act funds.
Planning efforts for Phase 3 are currently underway and will aim to connect Sutter’s Landing Park West to both the Sacramento Northern Trail and Two Rivers Trail Phase 1.