Funding OKd for River Trail Project

Moving forward with ambitious plans for a 5 1/2-mile biking, hiking and horseback-riding trail, the Ventura City Council agreed to pay a local engineering firm up to $316,000 to devise construction plans and cost estimates for the Ventura River Trail Project.

Boyle Engineering Corp. of Ventura was selected to come up with the specifications for the trail, which is expected to cost about $2.5 million to construct.

The city recently purchased old rail lines from Southern Pacific Railroad for about $1 million, half of which was paid for with a federal grant.

Under the project to be mapped out by Boyle, the old rail lines would be turned into a 40-foot-wide recreational trail connecting the Ojai Valley Trail at Foster Park to the Omer Rains Trail at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

The project is expected to include about 50 separate construction plans involving the trail, three bridges, three rest and picnic areas and landscaping.

In addition to the $316,000 allocated for the engineering costs, the City Council authorized additional payments up to $67,500 for the rehabilitation of two bridges and another $30,000 for unanticipated work that might not be covered by the contract as planned.