news Long Awaited Cross Marin Trail Repair Will Cause Temporary Closure
For the last five years MCBC has received numerous emails from members asking when the Cross Marin Trail will be repaired. This is in reference to a culvert failure at the Jewel Trail junction that forces bicyclists to walk or go off-road. Finally Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) has received clearance from various agencies to fix the culvert and restore the paved pathway.
From early August through October, MMWD will replace a failed corrugated metal pipe culvert underneath the Cross Marin Trail at Jewell Creek. The culvert is in disrepair and has a decayed bottom affecting fish passage at this location. MMWD’s Nicasio water transmission line, located above the failing culvert, is also at risk and could be damaged if the culvert fails.
In place of the existing culvert, MMWD will install an open-bottom arch culvert, improving fish passage in Jewell Creek. This project will also restore the Cross Marin Trail and stabilize the Nicasio transmission line in the project vicinity. The Cross Marin Trail will be closed south of Sir Francis Drake Blvd through National Park Service lands to Samuel P. Taylor State Park until the completion of the project, when it is once again safe for use by hikers, equestrians and cyclists. This project aligns with MMWD’s five-year strategic plan to improve water supply resiliency and maintain facilities and equipment sufficiently.
The Cross Marin Trail meanders along the old North Coast Pacific Railroad grade which once ran between Larkspur to Cazadero. The trail is paved for a portion and runs through Samuel P. Taylor State Park on California State Park lands where users can stroll or bike along majestic redwood trees adjacent to Lagunitas Creek, home to endangered coho salmon and steelhead.
While 2/3’s of the trail will remain open during construction, the north end of the Cross Marin Trail, and the connecting Jewell Trail, will be closed for 90 days to bicyclist, hikers and equestrians. Please consider alternate routes during the construction period or be prepared to use a portion of Sir Francis Drake Blvd for through access August through October.
