Is there any more satisfying feeling than putting the last piece of a difficult puzzle into place? In December, Midpen is doing just that by finalizing the purchase of a 35-acre property near the Lexington Reservoir that will become part of the existing El Sereno Open Space Preserve, and is critical to advancing the larger Highway 17 Wildlife and Trail Crossings project. This strategic $1.2 million purchase is funded by Measure AA, a 2014 bond measure passed by local voters to support priority open space projects in Midpen’s Vision Plan like this one.
The property is a key component within a complex landscape, made up of several different landowners, where a planned public multiuse trail overcrossing of Highway 17 will link Midpen’s El Sereno Preserve on the west side of the highway with the Los Gatos Creek Trail to the east. This trail overcrossing will also close a gap in the Bay Area Ridge Trail, linking together 50 total miles of regional trails.
At the heart of this project is a separate wildlife crossing that will go under Highway 17, and is intended to help mountain lions, deer, foxes and many other wildlife safely access the habitats they need to survive. Keeping wildlife off the roadway will also make this stretch of Highway 17, a known roadkill hotspot, safer for drivers.
“The property itself offers some stunning views of Lexington Reservoir and the Santa Clara Valley, which will be a wonderful feature for the future trails. By acquiring and preserving the property as open space, it will help funnel wildlife looking to cross the highway towards the critical wildlife undercrossing that we are also building as part of the project,” said Midpen Real Property Planner Aaron Peth.
In 2024, Midpen achieved other important milestones to move this project forward, including selecting the preferred locations for the projects’ two highway crossings, and completing the required environmental review process. The project is now in final design phase, being led by our project partner, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.