Officials with San Jose\u2019s Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services had earlier signaled they favored a plan to demolish the decommissioned timber railroad bridge, which spans Coyote Creek, and replace it with a steel bridge. The proposal prompted fierce opposition<\/a> from preservation advocates and community leaders.<\/p>\n While organizers behind a campaign to save the trestle<\/a> are heaving a sigh of relief, residents who live near the proposed pedestrian pathway, including City Council District 7 constituents,\u00a0said they are disappointed to learn they will have to wait longer for a section of trail that would have provided a faster linkage route between several other transit corridors.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce again, District 7 has to take it on the chin. Once again, District 7 doesn\u2019t get anything,\u201d Alie Victorine, president of the District 7 Leadership Group, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThat\u2019s a feeling that a lot of times people in this area have felt because it has been neglected in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n The Five Wounds Trail, which will follow the alignment of the former Western Pacific Railroad right-of-way, has been pitched as a crucial means of connecting the city\u2019s trail network, providing easier access between the Berryessa BART station, the Lower Silver Creek Trail and Coyote Creek Trail<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parks officials informed residents about the decision to split the project into four separate segments in a July 9 online community update.\u00a0They said the portion of the trail beginning at Highway 280 will be prioritized because it faces a relatively simple path to completion.<\/p>\n The two northern segments, which extend the route from Santa Clara Street to Silver Creek, run through\u00a0 property owned by VTA. San Jose will need to coordinate work on those segments with VTA as the transit agency advances plans to create the Little Portugal BART station nearby, a project slated for completion by 2037, officials said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, demolition of the Coyote Creek Trestle, built in 1922 by Western Pacific Railroad, could snarl up work on the southernmost section of the Five Wounds Trail in a sea of red tape. The railroad trestle\u2019s historic status means that any demolition plans would trigger a lengthy review process under the California Environmental Quality Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parks officials maintain the city still intends to complete the southern portion of the trail eventually. However, they said segmenting the project will allow important components of the plan to move forward, even if others hit roadblocks. They provided no timeline for restarting the southern section.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we had all the funding and resources to do all 40 miles of the trail network, we would,\u201d Ed Bautista, parks department spokesperson, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cBut we do have to prioritize the projects that provide the greatest regional benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n Officials project planning work on the trail segment beginning at Highway 280 will be completed by December 2027. No timeline has been set for the construction phase, which will involve costly reclamation work along the former railway path.<\/p>\n Larry Ames, a longtime preservation advocate and member of a committee formed to protect the Coyote Creek Trestle, said that while he\u2019s glad the historic railroad trestle<\/a> won\u2019t be demolished, he remains worried about its future.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have no plans at all to save it, either,\u201d Ames told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThere are trees that are growing underneath the trestle, and they need to be trimmed because otherwise, in a few years, they\u2019ll just tear the bridge apart. So I don\u2019t want them to do demolition by neglect, which seems to be one of the tricks the city does.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose\u2019s Public Works Department conducts regular inspections of the trestle and performs maintenance as needed, Bautista said.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Five-Wounds-Trail-map.png\")
New plans for the Five Wounds Trail call for breaking up the project into four separate segments. Image courtesy of San Jose.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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