BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new trail along the Friant-Kern Canal is almost ready to go. Councilmember Bob Smith says the project, connecting northwest Bakersfield to a trail that stretches from Lake Ming to Lake Buena Vista, is nearing completion.
"It's a great amenity. Ward 4 and the Northwest was always the most difficult to access the Kern River Parkway. Because you've just got the high-speed arterials of Callaway and Coffee to get to it," said Smith. "Once this is complete, people will be able to be on a bike path all through northwest Bakersfield and connect to the bike path on the river."
The trail is part of the city's master plan and will eventually connect with the Kern River Parkway Trail, but there is still some work left to be done before the city holds an official grand opening of the new six-mile stretch of path.
"The railroad crossing in between Rosedale and Brimhall – Truxton. It has been difficult, the railroad's pretty independent, but we have final approval from them, and the fabrication of the last piece of the bridge over the railroad has been ordered and will be constructed," Smith said.
Smith added the hope is to have the bridge in place by late spring of 2027.
While the full trail isn't officially finished, a large portion of it stretching from the intersection of Coffee and Rosedale up to 7th Standard Rd. is complete, and cyclists like Kevin Talley, owner of Grizzly Cycles in northeast Bakersfield, have been able to use it.
"It's a huge step in the right direction for Bakersfield," said Talley. "My argument for our current bike path is it's always been, go over there, this is where you belong, don't be on the roads. There's no interruptions, there's no street crossings. With the north-south bike path, it's really nice to see that it crosses some main arteries," Talley said.
Talley says he's excited to see the crossings because he believes that by making cyclists more visible to passing drivers, it will make it safer for everyone.
"I think that we can coexist as one, but there's always been kind of a separation because of our current bike path, and with the new bike path integrating with everyone else, it's just going to make people more aware. It's going to make cycling, I think, safer for everyone just because people are gonna be more aware of your everyday — not just utilitarian cyclists, but your leisure cyclists going out there just to enjoy the day."
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