Ready to ride on the trail
City Council members host ribbon cutting for the 16-foot wide addition
Mayor Laurene Weste, right, and Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean cheer bicyclists during the grand opening of the newly constructed San Francisquito Creek Trail. For more,
No more “frogger crossing,” is what a handful of Santa Clarita Valley runners and cyclists said Friday at the ribbon cutting for the San Francisquito trail undercrossing.
The 16-foot wide addition, located under and west of the Newhall Ranch Road Bridge, provides a safe alternative for pedestrians and cyclists to complete the trail without interruption.
“I love my community. I love what we do together, and I love the fact that Santa Clarita is putting trails to keep people healthy, active and safe,” said Laurene Weste, the mayor of Santa Clarita. “Is there anything more important than that?”
Those that travel without a car in the area agree, including Nina Moskol, cyclist and chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition SCV chapter.
“This area has been known as the frogger crossing for a long time by cyclists and runners because there was no crossing under or over the bridge,” she said.
The only safe place, she added, for those to cross was at Avenue Tibbitts and Dickason Drive, though most people just crossed the six-lane road.
Moskol called the addition a “really big win” for cyclists with the coalition, who have been advocating and campaigning for the crossing under the bridge for about five years.
Valencia resident Phil Howard, who has been running in the area with his wife and other club members of the Santa Clarita Runners for several years, said he was glad the “headache is over in time for the marathon.”
The annual Santa Clarita Marathon, which passes through the area, is scheduled for Nov. 3 and 4.
The undercrossing is part of the $16-million Newhall Ranch Road Bridge Widening project, which includes the addition of two travel lanes, barrier-protected sidewalks and a raised median.
Until the project’s full completion, pedestrians and cyclists have already used the San Francisquito trail addition multiple times.
And they aren’t the only ones. “I’ve seen this piece of the path, that I haven’t seen before, used by women with strollers and people walking their dogs,” said Moskol. “It creates connectivity.”