ORANGE, Ca. – The City of Orange officially broke ground on the first phase of the Santiago Bike Trail North project in a golden shovel ceremony at the corner of Prospect St. and Bond Ave.

In partnership with the Orange County Water District and Third District Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell, this groundbreaking marks the start of construction for the first phase of a Class one, ten foot wide, off-road bike trail that will eventually continue to Santiago Canyon Rd. and connect to the Class 1 bike trail on Santiago Canyon to the east, as well as the Class 2 Bike trail, South Tustin to Collins Ave. segment to the west.

This project would not have been possible without the involvement of the Orange County Water District, which owns much of the land that will be reconfigured for the trail, and Supervisor Bill Campbell, who backed the project and found the funding sources.

"We are fulfilling a dream," said Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche. "This project would not be possible without a unique partnership that has been forged to make this bike trail a reality. The City had the vision and the plans, the County had the funds, and the Orange County Water District provided the necessary easements."

Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell recounts how his office was contacted by the Santiago Creek Greenway Alliance, an organization dedicated to preserving Santiago Creek.

"What is exciting to me is that this shows how representative government works," Supervisor Campbell said. "Representatives from the Alliance came to my office a number of years ago, handed me some pamphlets and said ‘This is our vision.’ I thought this was a wonderful benefit for all of the citizens of Orange County, and figured out that there was some funding available."

Orange County Water District Board Member, and City of Orange Councilman, Denis Bilodeau said, "I want to acknowledge the Water District staff who spent a lot of time to make this happen. The bike trail travels through a checkerboard of easements and parcels, and a tremendous amount of effort was needed to make this project a reality."

The construction, which is schedule to last 72 days, will take place on the North side of Bond Ave. from Prospect St. to Hewes St. The new bike trail will be separated from traffic by a row of hedges and will require the reconfiguring of Bond from four lanes to two lanes.

For more information, please contact Paul Sitkoff, Business and Public Affairs Manager for the City of Orange at psitkoff@cityoforange.org or (714) 288-2590.

Class I Bike Path - Provides for bicycle travel on a right-of-way completely separated from the street.
Class II Bike Lane - Provides a striped lane for on-way travel within the street.