SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) officials were joined Tuesday by local leaders and bike advocates to celebrate the start of construction on the Pershing Bikeway project.
The Chair of SANDAG, who's heading the project, is also the mayor of Encinitas. Mayor Catherine Blakespear said a similar project in her community helped immensely.
"It allows are city to be accessible to people, it allows them to enjoy the city and the outdoors, to boost their physical and mental health, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions -- there is literally no downside to it. But, regardless these projects can be hard to get off the ground," said Blakespear.
Mayor Blakespear posted the following statement on her Twitter page Tuesday morning.
Last summer, drivers killed a bicyclist and a person on a scooter on two separate occasions on Pershing Drive, so local leaders said it can't happen again.
SANDAG said the idea behind this project is to give San Diegans a more affordable and safe way to get around. The organization said the project will help fulfill the vision laid out in the San Diego Regional Bike Plan, which aims to make riding a bike a safer and more convenient choice for everyday travel.
When complete, the 2.3-mile Pershing Bikeway is intended to improve north-south connectivity for people who bike and walk around Balboa Park and between North Park and Downtown San Diego by creating a two-way separated bikeway, buffered bike lanes and a path for people walking.
The roughly $13.4 million Pershing Bikeway project is funded by TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG.