In the Delta town of Clarksburg, neighbors are turning up the heat on city officials as West Sacramento and regional partners push ahead with designs for a multi‑use trail that would connect the rural community to the city. At a Thursday night meeting of the Clarksburg Citizens Advisory Committee, several landowners warned that the proposed Clarksburg Branch Line Trail Extension would cut through family farmland, complicate access and bring trash and trespassing. The Dwyer family, which farms several miles along the proposed corridor, told officials they already have an attorney lined up to sue if the project proceeds without a full environmental review.
The Clarksburg Branch Line Trail Extension would convert about 6.4 miles of an unimproved rail corridor into side‑by‑side paved and unpaved paths for people biking, walking and riding horses, according to the City of West Sacramento. The city notes it obtained the Clarksburg Branch Line right‑of‑way in 2005 under rails‑to‑trails provisions and says the project is intended to boost safety and regional connectivity.
Neighbors say farmland, wildlife and safety are at risk
Roughly two dozen residents showed up at the committee meeting to grill officials on the proposed route and possible mitigations, warning that a paved trail through active fields would split productive acreage and disrupt wildlife habitat. Corrine Dwyer told the crowd that, in her view, “we’re going to end up being babysitters for all the people on the trail,” as neighbors flagged fears about illegal dumping, encampments by unhoused people and liability if someone gets hurt on or near their land. Those comments, along with the family’s threat of litigation, were reported by CBS Sacramento.
City and coalition defend the alignment
Project supporters counter that the corridor is already city‑owned and has been part of local and regional plans for years, and that alternate alignments suggested by neighbors were studied and found unworkable. In a coalition statement quoted in television coverage, backers argued, “The Clarksburg Branch Line Trail Extension is a long‑planned transportation safety and recreation project that has broad regional support.” The city says shifting the trail elsewhere would mean buying private farmland instead of using the existing right‑of‑way it controls, a move it argues would tangle costs and land‑use rules, as reported by CBS Sacramento.
Funding and regional support
Supporters have secured planning money and pitched the project as part of a broader climate and active‑transportation strategy. The segment won a $1.9 million Carbon Reduction Program grant for design work and last‑mile right‑of‑way tasks. Local coverage highlighted praise from elected officials and bicycle advocates, who framed the award as a move toward stronger regional connections and reduced car emissions. That reporting appears in the West Sacramento News‑Ledger.
Timeline and outreach
Project partners say environmental review and public outreach will continue before any construction is cleared to start, and the city’s project page lists the corridor as in environmental clearance with design work expected in the coming years. The Delta Protection Commission has flagged the extension as the next segment of the Great California Delta Trail and is collaborating with local agencies on outreach and engineering while partners look for future construction funding. For project specifics and upcoming meeting notices, residents are directed to the city project page and regional planning documents.
Legal outlook…