2023 Crown Communities Award winner: The Juan Bautista multi-use trail project in Moreno Valley, Calif.

The Juan Bautista de Anza Multi-Use Trail in Moreno Valley, Calif. is nearly eight miles in length from north to south, offering great connectivity to nearby communities, businesses and schools. This city asset enables both recreation and transportation for all uses except motorized vehicles. The latest initiative, formally called the ATP 4 (Active Transportation Program, Cycle 4) project, puts land that has no intrinsic value to great use. In addition, the Moreno Valley byway will preserve the historic value of the complete 1,200-mile Juan Bautista de Anza Trail, which travels from San Francisco to the city of Sonora in Mexico. For all of these reasons the Juan Bautista de Anza Multi-Use Trail is a 2023 American City and County Crown Communities award winner.

The Moreno Valley multi-use trail sits on an otherwise unusable 100-ft.-wide Department of Water Resources (DWR) water pipeline easement that runs diagonally through the city. The city explains in its 2023 Crown Communities awards application: “No structures or buildings are allowed in the DWR easement, but in cooperation with the DWR and other agencies, the city is allowed to install non-structural improvements such as trails in the easement, turning otherwise unusable space into a great recreational trail opportunity.”

The new trail achieves a lot, says Harold Zamora, engineering division manager/assistant city engineer for Moreno Valley: “The DWR easement could be used for various non-structural uses such as small parks or playgrounds; however, the city believes the trail is the best use of the easement. It has accomplished multiple goals, including connectivity.”

The Moreno Valley trail promotes health and wellness, offering endless fitness opportunities for people of all ages in an attractive, safe, accessible place for physical activity. Trail users can experience nature with minimal impact to the surrounding environment.

The trail enables connectivity and transportation to many destinations, as it is relatively close proximity to four schools and nine parks. Zamora says his jurisdiction has been proactive in boosting the trail’s value to the community. “The city has been working with local schools and the school district to promote a walking to school program. We are also working to utilize the trail as a Safe Route to School path.”

The trail features intersection safety improvements that will help encourage students to walk and bike to school. The improvements will hopefully help reduce concerns parents have about their youngsters walking and bicycling. The trail has features that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements such as ramps.

In addition to being chosen as an AC&C Crown Communities winner, the trail has also been recognized by the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) with its 2023 B.E.S.T. Project of the Year Award. The organization recognized “the city’s pioneering approach to promoting safe and healthy communities by improving essential recreational and athletic infrastructures” through the multi-purpose trail and its third segment.

The Moreno Valley path has been a multi-phase project. The ATP 4 segment is four miles long. It extends from the Moreno Valley Mall to Iris Avenue. The project was the third and final segment needed to connect the historic multi-nation trail. The latest construction phase complements the previously completed Segments 1 and 2 that extend from Iris Avenue to the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. Segment 1 was from the Lake Perris Recreation Area to El Potrero Park; Segment 2 was from El Potrero Park to Iris Avenue. This latest phase was substantially completed in late August 2023. Moreno Valley’s estimated population in 2024 is 212,644.

The Active Transportation Program (ATP) from the California Transportation Commission was a big source of funding for the Moreno Valley multi-purpose trail. Total project cost for the Juan Bautista de Anza Multi-Use Trail was $14,837,629. The city received funding from Cycles 2, 3, and 4 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP). These grants fully funded various trail segments in the amount of $12,208,213.

According to Zamora, “The ATP can be both a state and federal program, depending on the source of funding. This project received 100 percent state funding and was approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC).”

Zamora notes that this trail project completes the last segment of the Juan Bautista De Anza system in the city. “However, there are other trails included in the city’s Trail Master Plan that would be implemented once funding becomes available.” This map spotlights trails in the Moreno Valley Trail Master Plan, and more information is available online.

No question, a lot of collaboration occurred to get the multi-use trail completed. “Cooperation from other government entities was critical on this project,” Zamora says. “The trail was constructed within the DWR right of way. The Riverside County (Calif.) Flood Control and Water Conservation District as well as the California State Parks cooperated. The use of open space on this size of project will likely require the support of several local government entities.”

Moreno Valley officials outlined the depth of cooperation in their 2023 Crown Communities awards application: “The city received a Letter of Support from the California Transportation Commission for the project. The project was a cooperative effort between numerous agencies. Moreno Valley took the lead in design and construction and had to coordinate with the DWR and the State Parks Department. The Active Transportation Program funding was provided by the CTC and the coordination for the funding occurred with Caltrans District 8 and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).”

Designers were conscious of the environment. Landscaping and irrigation systems installed on the trail were selected based on their reduced impact on the natural environment. The systems were adopted to preserve historically significant transportation corridors. The selected assemblies were also chosen because they require minimal repairs in the future.

Zamora says sustainable techniques, materials and supplies were employed on construction of the multi-purpose trail. “Recycled materials were incorporated into the asphalt concrete and Portland cement concrete materials used to build the trail.” He adds that energy-saving LED lights were included in the trail’s design.

PUB Construction was the construction contractor on the trail project. The project manager was CAV Consulting. KOA Corporation designed the trail. TKE Engineering handled construction management on the project.

Zamora notes that the contractor for the trail project is a local company. He adds that having a local firm involved is a plus. “It is important to have local firms construct projects like these for several reasons, such as cost savings, familiarity with local suppliers, sub-contractors, codes and regulations. This is all beneficial and will help ensure the project’s success.”

Moreno Valley officials got the viewpoint of residents and others as they planned the trail project. As noted in the city’s 2023 Crown Communities awards application: “Project recommendations were developed with extensive city and stakeholder coordination, public outreach meetings and workshops. Much of the outreach was completed during the development of the city’s Trail Master Plan.”

The Crown Communities awards application continues: “Community involvement was instrumental in analyzing existing conditions and formulating recommendations. The workshops included educational materials, instructors and Spanish translations. Residents provided positive feedback for the project. The project serves as a city priority and has regional connectivity with other local trails related to the 1,200-mile Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail that extends from the city of Sonora in Mexico to the San Francisco Bay area.”

Zamora says that for these types of projects, governments frequently need to deal with a lengthy right-of-way acquisition process, because the open spaces generally used for recreational trails tend to encroach onto private properties, and dedicated easements are often required. With that in mind, Zamora suggests: “It would be preferable to begin the acquisition process as early as possible and complete it once the project is determined to be feasible.”

This Crown Communities award-winning project completes the trail segment within the city of Moreno Valley. The Moreno Valley trail portion connects to the larger trail, passing through 14 counties in California and five counties in Arizona. The trail crosses nearby counties including San Diego County and Imperial County. More information about this trail, including county guides, is available on its webpage.

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].