SAN DIEGOSAN DIEGO — Construction is nearly complete on the Pershing Bikeway, which officials say will transform a notoriously dangerous route through Balboa Park into a quieter, low-stress oasis for pedestrians and cyclists.
Pershing Drive had long been a four-lane road where traffic zoomed at 50 mph through the park between downtown and North Park. It’s now becoming a much slower two-lane road with a two-way bike path and sidewalks.
While the $13.7 million project has been opposed by some drivers frustrated by the changes to a convenient route, regional officials say it solves multiple problems simultaneously.
The bikeway eliminates the dangerous problem of having what was essentially a freeway running through the city’s most iconic park, while also filling a glaring gap in the regional cycling network.
The 2.3-mile bikeway connects to the Landis Bikeway at Landis and Utah streets at its northern edge and a two-way downtown cycle track on C Street at its southern edge.
“It’s really a transformative project,” said Chris Kluth, a regional planning manager for the San Diego Association of Governments.
But it’s not just for cyclists. In addition to the two-way protected bike lane on the east side of Pershing and a buffered bike lane on the west side, the project includes a protected sidewalk along its entire route.
To boost the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, the speed limit on Pershing has been reduced from 50 mph to 35 mph, flashing beacons have been installed in five places and a roundabout has been built at Redwood Street.
All those features will come together to make Pershing a friendly connector between not just downtown and North Park, but also South Park and Golden Hill, officials say.
“It’s shifting how we traverse through our crown jewel, Balboa Park,” said Anar Salayev, executive director of Bike San Diego. “I think it’s going to be a game changer.”
Salayev said the project should have happened sooner. While the bikeway had been contemplated since at least 2016, two deaths on Pershing in 2021 accelerated the decision to move forward.
Laura Shinn, a San Diego State University , was struck and killed by a driver in July 2021 while cycling in an unprotected bike lane on Pershing. Two months later, Jonathan Sepulveda was fatally hit by a driver on Pershing while riding an electric scooter.
“The only misgiving I have about it is that it came a little to late,” Salayev said.
Vicki Granowitz, a longtime North Park community leader, said the positives of the new bikeway far outweigh the negatives.
“I it I miss being able to speed on Pershing, but it was stupid and dangerous,” she said. “You don’t gain that much time anyway.”
Granowitz, an avid walker, said the project might be more important to pedestrians than cyclists. There hadn’t been any sidewalks at all on Pershing.
Granowitz said she understands why some residents get frustrated when they see bike lanes get built and then not get much use. But she said it’s sometimes important to build amenities slightly before they’re needed.
Construction of the bikeway, which began in early 2022, drew complaints because it shrank Pershing down to one lane heading south. That forced commuters to take either Florida Street or another route north.
The bikeway begins at Utah and Landis streets and runs south along Utah until it connects with Pershing at Upas. From there, it travels through the park on Pershing and connects to C Street downtown.
The bikeway is already functional, but crews continue to add signage, landscaping and other finishing touches this spring. Kluth said he expected an opening celebration in June.
