Part of Standiford in Modesto will close for placement of Virginia trail bridge
A short stretch of Standiford Avenue will close early Friday morning so a trail bridge can be installed above it.
Modesto’s latest phase of the Virginia Corridor Trail will open by early 2027 between Woodrow and Union avenues.
The prefabricated bridge will require closure at 801 Standiford from 3 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday. Drivers can detour onto nearby streets that connect with the four-lane thoroughfare.
The popular trail now runs nearly three miles from the north edge of downtown. The half-mile, $11.37 million extension will bring it to even more north Modesto neighborhoods.
The trail has been built in six phases since 2006 on the former Tidewater Southern branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. It has a paved surface for walking and biking, along with landscaping and rail history displays.
A year ago, the City Council awarded an $8.56 million contract to A&B Construction of Oakland. The total also includes engineering, inspections and a relocated city water line. Several state and local sources covered the costs.
The contractor already has paved the north and south approaches to the bridge and poured the concrete footings. The span will not need an abutment in the Standiford median, but a short fence will be placed there to deter jaywalkers.
The Virginia Corridor passes by several schools, parks and stores. It already has a bridge over the even wider Briggsmore Avenue, and several other long segments without cross traffic. The south end will better connect with downtown as part of North Ninth Street work running to February.
The current north end is at Woodrow Elementary School, site of a memorable gathering in November. Students did the Ruby Bridges Walk in honor of a 6-year-old who defied campus segregation in New Orleans in 1960.
