JOST Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge is Open

Photo from the City of Irvine website

On August 11th, hundreds of cyclists, walkers, and four-legged companions crossed the I-5 Freeway as the new Jeffrey Open Space Trail (JOST) Bicycle & Pedestrian Bridge officially opened.

The 15-foot-wide, 1,200-foot-long bridge is Irvine’s largest pedestrian bridge, connecting the Jeffrey Road Park & Ride Lot with Walnut Avenue and closing a major gap in the City’s trail network.

The bridge is the centerpiece of a 1.5-mile extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail, which runs from Barranca Parkway to the I-5 Freeway. The extension builds on the existing 3.5-mile trail, one of the original pieces of Irvine’s master-planned network of open spaces and pathways.

Irvine is already known for its extensive network of trails and bikeways, but the new bridge takes that system a step further, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to travel across one of the City’s busiest barriers without having to compete with freeway traffic.

Photo from the City of Irvine website

“This project reflects Irvine’s longstanding commitment to thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and creating a community designed around the well-being of the people who live here,” said Mayor Larry Agran. “The overpass completes a vital five-mile corridor through the heart of our City, giving residents a safer, healthier, and more enjoyable way to walk, bike, and connect with their neighborhoods and our remarkable open spaces.”

Made possible in part by $14.5 million in state funding, the bridge represents another step toward Irvine’s vision of an interconnected trail system that could eventually stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest. A major gap is now a new connection — and a new way to experience Irvine.