American River Parkway Detours in Effect
Spanking-new retaining walls and DG shoulder near the 22 mile mark. Photo courtesy Sacramento County
If you have been running out on the Parkway lately, you’ll no doubt have noticed road crews beavering away at various sections of the trail.
Even though Sacramento County has been so short of cash they’re essentially letting the Parkway go feral and the transients have a free rein along the river, there has been plenty o’ cash for trail maintenance from the Measure A transportation funding.
Last weekend, I ran downstream from Hazel Avenue and was treated to running on newly laid, decomposed granite shoulders tucked along visually breathtaking new retaining walls.
This morning, perhaps to the annoyance of work crews, Jenny and I were the first runners to glide over the freshly smoothed DG shoulder between Howe and Watt Avenue–until we passed the guy mashing it flat with that roller thingy and those other guys shoveling the DG out onto the shoulders.
By the looks of it, that section (North side of the river, between Howe and Watt) should be completed very soon, and the trail clear for runners and bicyclists, perhaps by this weekend. Regardless, any detours along this section are fairly painless diversions to the levee top road.
Unfortunately, it appears that levee repairs along the south side of the river will be underway for some time.
What this means is that if you like to run the loop course along the north and south sides of the river, crossing the bridges at Howe and Watt Avenues, you are going to have to run a detour out along La Riviera rather than the more scenic trail along the riverside.
Plan accordingly!