Bridge dedication marks closure of gap in hiking, riding trail

CONCORD, CA (Sept. 14, 2009) – The City of Concord and the East Bay Regional Park District will celebrate the dedication of the Galindo Creek Bridge with a public ribbon cutting on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m.

The 74-foot pedestrian bridge across Galindo Creek, near Ygnacio Valley Road at Alberta Way, closes one of the last gaps in the California State Riding and Hiking Trail between the Carquinez Strait shoreline and Mount Diablo State Park.  The new trail will greatly improve public safety for trail users by rerouting trail access off of busy Ygnacio Valley Road and on to the new bridge portion just below the busy roadway. 

A unique feature of the project was the “recycling” of an existing steel bridge that was moved from Antioch, where it was no longer needed by the Park District, to the new location in Concord. The project also included significant improvements to stabilize Ygnacio Valley Road along the adjacent trail.  The new trail segment will be managed by East Bay Regional Park District.

“We are very happy to see this improvement completed,” said Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister. “Walkers, runners and riders who use the trail now have a much safer route, and this gap closure will result in more users discovering our section of the wonderful California State Riding and Hiking Trail.”  

The project was funded by the City of Concord, the Coastal Conservancy, East Bay Regional Park District and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The California State Riding and Hiking Trail was envisioned in the 1940s as a 3,000-mile network extending from Mexico to Oregon. EBRPD currently manages over 20 miles of the trail in Contra Costa County.

Parking for the event will be available at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way (at Ygnacio Valley Road), Concord. Signage will direct attendees to the dedication site.

For more information, contact Shelly Lewis, Public Information Supervisor, East Bay Regional Park District, (510) 544-2208.