OJAI VALLEY TRAIL BRIDGE AT SAN ANTONIO CREEK
Ventura County Parks Department is planning to construct a bridge at the confluence of San Antonio Creek and the Ventura River. Funding would come from state and federal salmonid restoration grants.
This project will enhance the bike trail as well as improve fish passage up San Antonio Creek.
The project consists of the replacement of the Ojai Valley Trail culvert crossing with a bridge at San Antonio Creek, including removal of the existing culverts and associated fill,
construction of the bridge and site restoration. Based on conceptual plans developed to date, the bridge would have an overall length of 790 feet, including approach ramps. The bridge span would be approximately 510 feet. The bridge deck elevation would be at about 323 feet, about 10 to 12 feet higher than the existing trail surface elevation. The bridge would be designed to support pedestrians and bicycles, and occasional light-weight patrol vehicles (golf cart-sized). The bridge approach ramp grade would be 5 percent or less to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.This diagram was included in our comment letter, suggesting that moving the bridge a short distance up SA Creek (yellow line) would allow for a shorter bridge and eliminate future impacts at the bend in the river. We also wrote that biologists documented significant numbers of fish in the pool this year, and realignment of the river should minimize dewatering downstream pools (red line.)
We also suggested that this project should be coordinated with other objectives, including
- Water Infrastructure Upgrade/Relocation
- Bike trail realignment into oak woodland
- Equestrian trail realignment/management plan to reduce impacts
- Levee removal – northern 300 ft(?) is obsolete
- Riparian Restoration/ floodplain enhancement/steelhead habitat creation
For more information contact project manager Theresa Lubin 805-654-3968
