$5 million improvement project coming to Ventura River Trail
Ventura cyclists are about to get a much smoother ride, thanks to a $5 million improvement project coming to the Ventura River Trail that winds along the city's western edge.
City and state officials hosted a community bike ride May 21 to celebrate the launch of the project, a partnership with the California Department of Transportation that will repave two miles of bike and pedestrian paths.
“All Californians deserve access to clean, beautiful and safe pathways,” Caltrans Acting Director Steven Keck said in a press release.
The city has two years to complete the trail work, including new fencing, trash cans and drought-tolerant landscaping. Floodwalls along the river trail will get new murals, courtesy of Ventura's Public Art Program.
The path was originally paved in 1989 as part of a 15-mile route that gradually ascends 700 feet from the Ventura River Estuary to Ojai, following Highway 33 but almost entirely segregated from vehicle traffic. To the south, the trail connects with the Omer Rains trail, hugging the coastline on its way to Ventura Beach.
“For many years this trail has provided community members access to their local schools, places of work, and recreation facilities,” Ventura Mayor Sofia Rubalcava said in the release.
Caltrans expects the makeover to extend the life of the trail by 15 to 30 years.
The project is funded by one of 105 Clean California local grants Caltrans awarded around the state in March, totaling $300 million.
Since launching the program last July, Caltrans says state highways have been cleared of more than 620,000 cubic yards of litter, enough to fill 190 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura bike trail set to get a $5 million facelift
