Eureka Maps Out Millions in Infrastructure, Parks and Waterfront Improvements

Eureka is making significant progress on a range of capital improvement projects and many more are charted in a freshly-approved five-year plan.  At its June 2 meeting, The Eureka City Council was briefed on a wide variety of completed projects, those underway and those in planning stages.

Most of the projects are funded through state and federal grants, bond funding and various city reserve funds.

City Engineer Jesse Willor described the completion of Da’ Yas Park between Summer and California streets as a “big one” and “a really wonderful addition to our community.” Completed last fall and paid for through a $6 million state grant, the park ‘s main feature is a striking egret- and crab-themed playground.

Another major recreation project – the Grace Marton Memorial Park and waterfront trail – is underway at Halvorsen Park and will incorporate the Sacco Amphitheater as its entrance point.  The park’s playground will include a realigned waterfront trail and a related project is the repaving of Halvorsen’s bay trail from the Adorni Center to the Samoa Bridge. The park is paid for through a donation from Lance Hardie and Grace Marton augmented by grant funding and some city funding.

The C Street Bicycle Boulevard project was completed this year through a $2.3 million state grant and runs from the foot of C Street to Harris Street.  It’s come under some criticism due to its vehicular traffic reconfigurations but Councilmember Kati Moulton has heard “a lot of feedback” supporting it.

“The stuff I see on social media is all like, ‘They’re so crazy’ but when people write in or call or talk to me personally, they have been very, very positive about it.” For C Street residents, it’s been “a massive quality of life improvement,” she continued, adding, “it’s not just about the bikes, it’s also about keeping quiet neighborhood streets and not unintended cross-town thoroughfares.”

Another grant-funded bicycle boulevard project, on G Street between 7^th and Harris streets, is in planning stages and will likely have “a lighter touch” on auto traffic patterns, said Willor.

On other fronts, the city installed what Willor called “a critical piece of infrastructure” for the waterfront, an above ground fuel storage tank at the foot of Commercial Street.

Culvert replacements and other fish passage improvements were done at 14^th Street and at M Street with $5 million in state funding.

The city also wrapped up its annual sewer lateral replacement project last summer.

A street pavement upgrade project was finished in the summer of 2025, with a number of streets repaved, including segments of Buhne, Fairfield, Hernderson and F streets.

Street repaving fell behind in past years due to lack of funding but has been on the uptick since the 2020 voter approval of Measure H, which pays for essential city services.

Some big projects are in progress or on the horizon.

A $20 million bond-funded “wet weather improvement bypass elimination project” at the city’s Elk River sewage treatment plant started last summer and is ongoing.

Another major project is wastewater treatment plant outfall upgrades, which are set to begin this summer.

The grant-funded $6 million Westside Flood Reduction and Sea Level Rise Mitigation Project goes into construction this summer and will include multiple improvements.

“It benefits sea level rise, it benefits flood reduction and it benefits the water quality of Humboldt Bay,” said Willor.

Long in planning stages, the Bay to Zoo Trail is in a design and easement negotiation phase.

“We’re meeting with property owners and making offers and acquiring easements,” Willor said. “So progress is being made for the trail alignment there.”

The C Street Bicycle Boulevard project included a complete repaving and the G Street boulevard will include repaving from 7^th Street to Wabash Avenue.

Other projects in planning include the Cooper Gulch Trail, replacement of the Samoa Bridge boat launch, relocation of the city’s Corp Yard Operations Complex and improvements to the Eureka Municipal Auditorium, various City Hall improvements and a fiber optic network upgrade.

All that’s in addition to the city’s regular street, water system and wastewater infrastructure maintenance.

“I’m eating it up – this is fantastic,” said Moulton. “This is the work of government. This is how we do stuff to make everything work, it’s invisible and people don’t care about it but it’s wonderful and it takes a lot of planning and a lot of skill and a lot of expertise.”

A public comment period only had one taker, Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, who vouched for a C Street-like approach to the G Street boulevard project.

“A bike boulevard requires both speed management as well as access management to prevent through traffic in order to make it a comfortable and safe facility,” he said. “And that is also laid out in the adopted bike plan so I just don’t want us to be spending money on new bike infrastructure that most people including families and kids still won’t feel comfortable using.”

Councilmembers voiced support for various efforts.

Councilmember Leslie Castellano recommended “developing Halverson Park as a venue,” which was also supported by Councilmember Scott Bauer.

Not included in the five-year plan is installation of a Portland Loo-style prefabricated public restroom in Old Town or on the waterfront, which Castellano also recommends and had previously been approved for inclusion in the five-year plan.

Councilmembers agreed to revisit it later.

The five-year Capital Improvement Program was unanimously approved.