The Riverside County Board of Supervisors recently voted to approve the final plans and specifications for the initial segment of a 16-mile pedestrian and bicycle path that will traverse a portion of Menifee. The unanimous vote of approval by the board authorized the county clerk’s office to begin soliciting bids from prospective contractors to construct a 5.2-mile stretch of the Salt Creek Trail in Menifee and Hemet. Construction of the first segment is slated to begin in the first half of 2020 and will take about six months to finish. The $3.35 million project is being overseen by the County Transportation and Land Management Agency (TLMA) and when completed, will provide a 16-mile Salt Creek regional trail with a paved bike path from Hemet through the unincorporated area of Winchester and the City of Menifee into Canyon Lake.  “It will provide the opportunity for expansion of local and regional trail systems, sidewalks and bike path connections from the trail to surrounding communities, school and commercial areas,” according to a statement from the TLMA.   

“This project is right in line with our General Plan and what we envision from a community development standpoint,” said Menifee City Manager, Armando Villa. “We are currently developing an Active Transportation Plan and have invested resources to develop a cohesive Parks, Trails, Open Space and Recreation Master Plan because we know that incorporating recreation is a key element of sustainable city planning strategy. The County clearly sees the value in this too, which is just one of a multitude of reasons we so strongly value our relationship with the County Board of Supervisors and its corresponding agencies.”