Bicyclists pedaled hard Friday on a new trail connecting west Bakersfield to the Kern River Bike Path after city staff opened the latest of what’s expected to be similar projects to come.
The 2.5-mile Stockdale River Ranch Multi-use Trail starts near Canterbury Court in the Stockdale River Ranch. It includes a 100-foot-long, 12-foot-wide steel truss bridge over the Cross Valley Canal.
The trail is intended for different forms of transportation — as was demonstrated by Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg, who zoomed over the bridge on a bike just in time for the conclusion of opening remarks Friday.
“This is not a normal project for the city, nor is it totally for us or the builders,” said Bruce Davis, executive director of Bolthouse Properties, which conceived of the project. “But, it’s something that came forth because it was worthwhile.”
Project’s $1.1 million cost was covered by a congestion-mitigation and air quality improvement program, a local gas tax and a utilities surcharge. The city of Bakersfield contributed about $120,000 to help cover construction and design costs, spokesman Joe Conroy said.
The city contracted with Granite Construction Co. to build the pathway.
Signs showing where the path connects to the Kern River Bike Path haven’t been installed yet. They will eventually tell trail users they can either travel to Stockdale Highway or Enos Lane from a connector.
Speakers noted the pathway doesn’t just allow recreation for residents, which improves healthy lifestyles, but it also provides greater connectivity. The point was also made that nearby property values will increase and people will drive less on the roads.
Project creators lauded Ward 4 Councilman Bob Smith for this love of bikes and involvement in transportation, which they said helped propel the project. Smith once represented the area, but it is now overseen by Ward 5 Councilman Bruce Freeman after a redistricting process.
“When we first got this idea, the first thing we did was say, ‘It’s a bike thing — go call Bob,’” Davis joked.
Gregg Strakaluse, the city’s public works director, noted two other projects intended to increase connectivity with the Kern River Bike Path allows riders to travel from Lake Ming to Lake Buena Vista.
In the future, a six-mile multiuse trail near the Friant-Kern Canal will also connect to the Kern River Parkway.
Separately, Caltrans reported Friday it received more than $988 million to repair and improve infrastructure throughout the state — including Kern County — from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and from Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
Some $4.3 million from that sum will go toward the path along the Friant-Kern Canal. It will fund construction of a bridge over the Kern River and a culvert under a railroad, according to Caltrans.
Another possibility includes having a multiuse pathway near the Arvin-Edison Canal, though Strakaluse noted that proposal remains early in the conceptual phase.