After being delayed by the pandemic, Modesto is moving forward with its next phase of the Virginia Corridor Trailway, the paved path popular with walkers, joggers and bicyclists.
The city expects construction to start this summer on phase seven, which would extend the corridor roughly a half mile from where it now ends at Woodrow Avenue. The phase includes a pedestrian bridge spanning busy, four-lane Standiford Avenue and ends at West Union Avenue.
The trail now runs from Campus Way near Ninth Street to Woodward Avenue, a distance of nearly 3 miles, along the former Tidewater Southern branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. Extending the trail to West Union Avenue is estimated to cost $7.1 million, with the funding coming from a state grant and other sources that can be spent only on projects like this.
Modesto had expected phase seven to connect to its Hetch Hetchy Trail, about a quarter mile north of Union Avenue, but continues to negotiate with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for permission to do that.