The Marina coastal trail was rerouted again this week. Starting October 5, 2026, trail users at the Sand City end are sent onto a new Beach Range Road multiuse trail extension, which connects back to the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail through a temporary connector. Monterey-Salinas Transit lists the end date as TBD. An earlier MST notice, labeled as information current on October 1, gave a tentative October 23 reopening. The newer notice replaced it.
That change matches the pattern for 2026. The trail between Marina and Sand City is being rebuilt while people are still using it, and several of the detours are the finished trail in early form. Some of the old connections are gone permanently. For the next year and a half, keeping up means knowing which access points are new and permanent and which are temporary.
The Marina underpass link is gone for good
The biggest change for Marina trail users came in spring. On Friday, April 3, 2026, MST permanently closed the path under Highway 1 that connected Beach Range Road and the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail in Marina. The closure made room for paving the new SURF! Busway. The Monterey Herald reported the closure on March 31, a few days before the underpass shut.
Its replacement is near Reindollar Avenue. MST built a new pedestrian path along Beach Range Road that links both trails at Del Monte Boulevard and Reindollar Avenue, plus an accessible ramp and a crosswalk. That spot is now the main crossover point in that part of Marina, and it was built as permanent infrastructure.
It has already closed once. MST closed the Reindollar access ramp from April 20 through May 18, 2026, to prepare for final busway paving. During that time, Palm Avenue was the only permitted connection between Beach Range Road and the Coastal Trail. If a sign or flagger shuts the Reindollar ramp again, Palm Avenue is the fallback MST has used before.
Paving brought more short restrictions in May. Starting May 12, busway paving along Marina Drive had flaggers at the Beach Range Road extension near Marina Drive and at the future 5th Street Station underpass. Pedestrians and cyclists were guided through the site.
Access points as of early October 2026
This table pulls together the connections named in MST, California State Parks and local news coverage, with their most recently reported status. MST says schedules can change without notice because of weather, site conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
Access point | Most recent reported status | Permanent or temporary |
|---|---|---|
Path under Highway 1 between Beach Range Road and the Coastal Trail, Marina | Closed since April 3, 2026 | Permanent closure |
Reindollar Avenue path, ramp and crosswalk at Del Monte Blvd., Marina | Replacement link; ramp closure was scheduled through May 18, 2026 | Permanent new link |
Palm Avenue, Marina | Only permitted connection during the spring ramp closure | Existing street link |
Beach Range Road trail near Fort Ord Dunes State Park | Portion closed for campground work | Temporary |
Beach Range Road extension and temporary connector, Sand City | Detour route since October 5, 2026; end date TBD | Extension is permanent; connector is temporary |
Western end of Playa Avenue, Sand City | Access point to the Coastal Trail during the current detour | Existing access |
Protected detour near California Ave. and the Highway 1 southbound on-ramp | Expected to last through spring 2028 | Temporary |
Beach Range Road and the Fort Ord Dunes campground
The Beach Range Road trail through Fort Ord Dunes State Park is closed for a separate project, the Fort Ord Dunes State Park Campground. California State Parks says construction began in summer 2025 and is expected to take two years. The park's beach and other trails stay open during construction. Parts of the recreation trail are detoured, and some trails are closed, including a portion of Beach Range Road.
In January 2026, Monterey County NOW reported that the Beach Range Road trail had been unavailable for about two years. It said some cyclists were using the parallel trail closer to Highway 1, which the paper described as bumpy and overgrown, and it named the Beach Range Road exits at Divarty and 8th Streets. The same report said the campground was expected to open in 2027. Neither source gives a month or day.
The beach is still the easiest way into the park while the trail is out. State Parks' driving directions run from Highway 1 via Light Fighter Drive, 2nd Avenue, Divarty Street and 1st Avenue to the entrance at the 8th Street overcrossing.
When it opens, the campground will have 98 sites: 45 for RVs, 43 for tents and 10 walk-in or bike-in sites. The 10 walk-in and bike-in sites are the ones most connected to the trail, since a trail user would reach them on foot or by bike instead of by car.
This month's Sand City detour
The current reroute is at the south end of the corridor, where MST is turning the intersection of California Avenue and the Highway 1 southbound on-ramp into a modern roundabout. MST is also extending the Beach Range Road Trail there. Since October 5, the Coastal Trail section next to Highway 1 has been under upgrade. Users are sent onto the new Beach Range Road multiuse extension and reach the Coastal Trail through a temporary connector. From the Sand City side, MST directs people to the trail access at the western end of Playa Avenue.
The detour route is new trail. MST describes the Beach Range Road extensions at the southern and northern ends of the SURF! project as part of about one mile of new trail connections that will be available once construction is done. Riders on this month's detour are using one of those future connections before it officially opens.
The section of Beach Range Road that is off limits for the campground project stays closed while roundabout construction continues. Nearby, a protected detour for pedestrians and cyclists around California Avenue and the southbound on-ramp has been in place since barrier work in April. MST expects it to last through spring 2028. The Monterey Herald covered that barrier installation in April.
One rule applies along the whole corridor. MST says newly paved busway surfaces are still an active construction zone and are closed to the public, even where the pavement looks finished.
The construction dates ahead
The closures have shifted all year, but the long-term schedule is fairly clear. Here is the published timeline:
- Now through January 2027. Retaining wall construction continues at selected locations from California Avenue in Sand City north into Marina, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and may cause noise and vibration. MST hired a local artist and teacher to design the walls. The design was made into a 3D mold with a sandy color and textured finish meant to blend with the dunes, and the taller walls are designed to keep existing coastal sightlines.
- 2027. Monterey County NOW's projected opening year for the Fort Ord Dunes campground. The paper reported that Beach Range Road will reopen once both the campground and busway projects are complete, so the campground opening alone does not set a date for the trail.
- Early to spring 2028. MST's annual report says busway construction will continue through early 2028. The protected detour near California Avenue is expected to last through spring 2028.
- By March 31, 2028. MST's deadline for starting SURF! revenue service. KSBW reported in June 2025 that service was expected by 2027. MST's later schedule replaced that estimate.
When the work is finished, the SURF! project will run five miles of bus-only lanes alongside Highway 1 between Marina and Sand City/Seaside. It will have stops in Marina, Sand City and Seaside and about a mile of new multiuse trail connections. Marina riders will get a planned stop at the future 5th Street Station near Marina Drive.
How to check before you head out
The most current source is MST's SURF! notices page, which posts each closure with dates and a map. Questions go to [email protected] or (831) 387-3500. In late 2025, MST crews painted directional arrows along the coastal trail to guide pedestrians and cyclists around the construction zones. For a cyclist's view of the partial closures, Bike Monterey keeps an access map, updated in January 2026.
Questions about how Beach Range Road, the Reindollar crossover or a future 5th Street Station stop might affect daily life on a specific Marina street are the kind of local detail Tommy Barker tracks for clients, so feel free to ask. Let's Connect.
