Countywide : Santa Ana River Bike Route to Be Detoured

Santa Ana River cyclists will be detoured onto city streets beginning late next week when the bike trail between Warner Avenue and 17th Street closes for the start of construction on the next stretch of the flood-control project.

Because of liability and safety concerns by Santa Ana city officials, a bike route was not agreed to until Thursday, county officials said.

City and county officials agreed to a street bike route that will take northbound cyclists and others who use the river trail off at Warner Avenue and detour them west to Newhope Street, which will take them north to 1st Street. The detour will take them east on 1st Street to Fairview Street, which they will take northward until it links back up with the trail.

Terrie Medeiros,county Environmental Management Agency project manager for the lower Santa Ana River, said that although construction begins Monday, the river trail between Warner and 17th will be open at least through Wednesday, until the street detour is finalized and bike paths are striped on the streets.

Early next week, construction work will be limited to the west side of the river to accommodate cyclists and others who use the bike trail, Medeiros said.

Medeiros said all streets along the detour will have bike paths. On 1st between Harbor Boulevard and Fairview, one traffic lane in each direction will be removed to accommodate the bike path, she said.

A detour will be worked out in the next two to three weeks for a segment on the river trail between Fairview--where cyclists get back on the trail--and 17th to the north, Medeiros said.

Don Harvey, chairman of the 140-member Orange County Bicycle Coalition, said the bike route is a “good compromise and we support the compromise. We don’t necessarily think it’s much safer, but it might be better. We’re happy with the detour.”

Harvey, however, said the trail’s closure is like closing a freeway to motorists and could discourage cyclists from riding their bikes.

“Some bicyclists will find the closure and leave bikes at home and take their cars, or go through city streets and find themselves in bad neighborhoods,” Harvey said.

Harvey added that the bike trail is “a very important route. Thousands of people a day use it in the summer.”

According to the county, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 cyclists use the trail a year.

Medeiros said that alternative routes using 17th and Trask Avenue were examined. But a road widening project is underway on 17th and a storm drain project is under construction on Trask.

The city of Santa Ana also looked at other possible bike routes and decided against using certain portions of Fairview because the street is heavily traveled by motorists and poses a higher risk for accidents, city engineer George Alvarez said.

River Trail Blues

Beginning Monday, the Santa Ana River trail between Warner Avenue and 17th Street will be closed because of construction. For now, cyclists and others will enter or leave te trail at Fairview Street and Warner Avenue. A detour for the section between Fairview and 17th has yet to be determined.