From Marin Independent Journal/Aaron Kinney, 11/18/11. Devils Slide, one of the Bay Area's most notorious stretches of road, is on the verge of a family-friendly transformation. This
landslide-prone section of Highway 1 that has claimed at least 12 lives
in car crashes since 1990 will become a bicycle and pedestrian trail as
early as 2013. Locals envision the new park as a jewel that will
outshine virtually every other recreation spot on the Peninsula. With the completion of twin bypass tunnels in late 2012, Caltrans will hand over the treacherous ribbon of asphalt to the San Mateo County Parks Department, which will embark on a yearlong project to turn it into a park offering breathtaking views of the ocean and coastline. It's a once-a-generation addition to the county parks system. The problem is, the department already is strapped for cash. "The timing couldn't be worse," said Dave Holland, the former head of parks who is now assistant county manager.
The park will have multiple draws for outdoors enthusiasts. It will provide a link between McNee Ranch State Park and Gray Whale Cove State Beach to the south and the Pedro Point Headlands to the north. The headlands, a rugged promontory on the southern boundary of Pacifica, will be accessible to the public as never before. But with Caltrans out of the picture, the county likely will not have enough money to clear the new trail in the event of a major slide, meaning it could ultimately be cleaved in two, barring north-south access. If that occurs, the full glory of Devils Slide may turn out to be a spectacular but temporary experience. More, including comments from Pacifica Activists...
Submitted by Jim Wagner
Posted with picture chosen by Kathy Meeh
12 comments:
But we don't have the money to maintain the trails and or build it.
When the first big el nino storm comes this trail will wash into the ocean..
Poof
As long as Pacifica doesn't have to spend a dime on it (as if we have one) this is a spectacular addition to the area. Build it and they will come. Any service business visible from the highway along the way should benefit in some measure even if El Nino divides the trail.
But the county wants to take on part of the financial burden or retaining Sharp Park GC instead of giving it to the Feds? LOL, yeah we've got money for that!
Right, as if the federal government and GGNRA are loaded with dough.
A golf course brings in revenues to offset its expenses. Trails and frog-and-snake preserves are pure expenses.
The moral of this story is that the hippies need to stop trying to turn every open patch of land into a park.
"Trails and frog-and-snake preserves are pure expenses." (Steve, 1027).
Now let's see, Anon (927) wants to give the 80 year old, classic, established San Francisco Bay Area golf course to the Feds (GGNRA). Then, this only golf course in Pacifica (city of 39,000) would be "transformed": torn-down to generate NO maintenance revenue, but would create more breading-ground for SF garter snakes (a subspecies of the common garter snake). And, through managed retreat, the snake breading-ground would move uphill, until the Pacific ocean sweeps-up the West Sharp Park residential neighborhood.
Guess you're another true believer Anon (927). And all the while, I thought the Golf Course "environmental" lawsuit was just a "wink", another pay-day for otherwise out-of-work attorneys doing what they know best.
"snake breading-ground"
I don't like my snakes ground and breaded.
I'd rather they have a breeding ground.
Spell check doesn't catch all the spelling errors and typos I make, unfortunately. Hopefully the grown-up bloggers will figure-it-out, catch the drift, and be able to comment on topic.
However, thanks for the memory. Separate from the assignment, breaded-snake is something our homemaking team did cook in high school. Yuck!
Someone here is thin-skinned. And it ain't just snakes.
If you cook a SF Snake down to oil, refine it, and pump it in your car, is it then OK? Would Nancy Hall approve?
she will write a song about it!
Prepare your SF garters any way you want. Ditto on the red-legged frogs...that is if you can find either one. I want the golf course to remain just as it is, a treasure for golfers and others. Revenue accounting is notoriously susceptible to bias and manipulation from all parties but IMHO it does bring money to Pacifica. It also serves an irreplaceable cultural and social purpose for this town. Something that outsiders cannot appreciate and Pacifica will be hard pressed to prove. Supporting the golf course does not mean we cannot appreciate the spectacular, visitor magnet of the recreation area on Devil's Slide.
Other than people waiting out a road closure at Denny's, we never made anything off the Slide before. Wait and see.
The road crossing for pedestrians and bikes at the south end is going to be stop light. A bypass should be install while the roadway is already torn up.
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