A bike rider connects to the San Diego Creek Trail from the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A rest area would be built at the northeast corner of Jeffrey Road and Barranca Parkway, seen here Wednesday, July 12, 2017, part of the city’s plan to extend the popular Jeffrey Open Space Trail between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. in Irvine, CA. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Dan Manassero, owner of Manassero Farms, voices a few concerns during a public meeting to discus the City of Irvine’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave., including a rest area at the northeast corner of Jeffrey Road and Barranca Parkway. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dan Manassero, owner of Manassero Farms, voices a few concerns during a public meeting to discus the City of Irvine’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave., including a rest area at the northeast corner of Jeffrey Road and Barranca Parkway. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bill Sellin, a member of the Orange County Bicycle Coalition, voices a few concerns during a public meeting to discus the City of Irvine’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Dan Manassero, owner of Manassero Farms, voices a few concerns during a public meeting to discus the City of Irvine’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A public meeting was held at the Cypress Park Community Center to discus the City of Irvine’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jim Han, 62, of Irvine, rides the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. and would include a rest area at the northeast corner of Jeffrey Road and Barranca Parkway. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A biker rides the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A biker turns right onto Barranca Pkwy from the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Cheryl Lea, associate transportation analyst for the City of Irvine, explains the city’s proposed extension of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. during a public meeting at the Cypress Park Community Center in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A biker rides next to a jogger along the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A biker rides the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A biker rides the Jeffrey Open Space Trail in Irvine, CA on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. The city is planning to extend the popular trail by constructing a lighted, off-street bicycle-pedestrian trail along the east side of Jeffrey Road, between Barranca Parkway and Walnut Ave. and would include a rest area at the northeast corner of Jeffrey Road and Barranca Parkway. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

IRVINE — In a few years, cyclists will be able to ride the entire stretch along Jeffrey Road without sharing the path with fast-driving cars.

The city plans to extend the Jeffrey Open Space Trail from Walnut Avenue near Interstate 5 down to Barranca Parkway, as well as build a bridge across the freeway. That will close a 1.2-mile gap and complete the seamless pedestrian and bicycle path from Portola Parkway to Interstate 405.

“We’ve always been a family-friendly city that places a great value on recreation,” Planning Commissioner Anthony Kuo said at an information meeting hosted by the city Wednesday, July 12. “And what’s important to families is the ability for moms and dads and kids, and grandparents to go out and enjoy themselves, do it safely.”

The Irvine Co. has built 2.5 miles of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail north of I-5, offering access through Cypress, Woodbury and Stonegate Village developments.

The 76-acre linear park trail, donated to the city, features paved paths, shade trees, benches, grass areas and historical markers about the region’s history. Three bridges and two undercrossings allow users to avoid stoplights along the six-lane Jeffrey Road. The topography even muffles the noise from cars.

There’s also a 0.8-mile existing trail from the I-405 interchange to Barranca. The extension project will connect these two trails.

The city’s proposed pathway won’t offer as many amenities as the northern park trail. It will feature lighting and a rest area at the corner of Jeffrey and Barranca with shade, benches, trash receptacles, a water station and bikeways map, according to the plan.

Because the extension won’t feature bridges and underpasses, users will have to stop at traffic lights.

Still, cyclists who attended Wednesday’s meeting said the improvements, especially the I-5 bridge, will help them safely get around town without a car.

“It will add a sense of security from outside traffic and just add interest to the trail in general,” said Brandon Martinez, 21, who commutes from Lake Forest to Tustin through Irvine. “They are doing a good job in terms of being progressive and staying ahead of the (game), allowing bicyclists to ride off the road or being more accommodating to cyclists than other cities I’ve seen.”

The Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a key north-south link for regional cycling trails from the Santa Ana Mountains to the ocean, cyclists say.

“It’s a major spine of the whole bicycling network,” said Bill Sellin, a board of director of Orange County Bicycle Coalition. “(The extension) will connect a link that’s going to allow people to develop a 35-mile loop around Irvine with never having to ride on a street, once it’s completed.

“It’s going to open up all kinds of options to get from Northwood all the way down toward the south end of town. If people want to pursue active transportation and keep their car at home and not fight the traffic on the street, this would give them a lot more motivation.”

Strips of land the city plans to build the extension trail on are owned by Southern California Edison and have electrical towers. Much of the land is leased to Manassero Farms for year-round farming and a farm stand.

Manassero Farms owners are asking the city to follow its original trail design, which runs in front of their property and does not affect the farming operations as much. Vice President Anne Manassero said she and her husband, Dan, were shocked to learn the design had changed since it was originally presented to them.

The city’s current plans call for the trail to cut through the farm property and take away half the parking space, Anne Manassero said. The project would also remove almost all facilities on the property include shade structures, a tent barn, a garden, fences and bathrooms, she said.

Moreover, the farms’ phone and water lines lie under the proposed trail, she said.

“That’s just going to to kill us,” Dan Manassero said about the project.

The extension project will be reviewed by the city’s transportation and planning commissions before going to the City Council for approval in the fall. Construction, which is expected to take nine to 15 months to complete, could begin in winter 2018, according to city staff.

The city is seeking public comments on the project through July 24. Submit written comments to Associate Transportation Analyst Cheryl Lea at clea@cityofirvine.org.

For more information, contact Lea at 949-724-7313 or visit cityofirvine.org.