FULLERTON : City Will Apply for Funds for Bike Path

The city will apply for $365,000 in state funds to build a paved bikeway that will help stretch trails from one end of the city to the other.

The proposed path would connect Rolling Hills Drive in northeast Fullerton to Valencia Mesa Drive, near St. Jude Medical Center. The path skirts the Loma Vista Memorial Park, winds through the Fullerton Municipal Golf Course and then passes through a tunnel under Bastanchury Road.

Don Hoppe, the city’s assistant engineer, said the route would be eight feet wide and about one mile long.

There is already a trail for horseback riders and joggers through the golf course, which Hoppe said might be paved for the trail.

But Hoppe said the project would accommodate horseback riders; they will use one of the tunnels under Bastanchury Road while bicycle riders will use the other.

The proposal will have to compete statewide for approval, Hoppe said. The state money is made available under Proposition 116--the Clean Air and Transportation Improvement Act of 1990. Hoppe said that if the state approves the path, money could be available within the year, but it would be a year or two more before the bike path would be completed.

The project is a first step in improving bike trails throughout the city, which is a goal of the master plan, Hoppe said. The master plan calls for bike trails running from the east end of the city to the west, and this will link two major segments.

There is already an on-street bike path along Rolling Hills Drive, with a white line dividing bikers from traffic. The bike route on Valencia Mesa Drive is not separated by a line; there are signs posted along the road to indicate the route.

Hoppe said the city would like to stripe a protected path for bikers along Valencia Mesa Drive as well.