News Release

SANDAG was joined by San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, local bike advocates, and community members this morning to celebrate the grand opening of the Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways in the City of San Diego.

The project adds 4.5 miles of new separated and buffered bikeways and other neighborhood improvements that enhance visibility and safety for people biking, walking, and driving between Downtown San Diego, Bankers Hill, and Hillcrest.

“Today marks a huge milestone for SANDAG’s regional bikeway network,” said SANDAG Chair and Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear. “The opening of the Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways creates vital neighborhood connections and comfortable and convenient commutes for people traveling through the heart of San Diego.”

The ceremonial ribbon cutting was followed by a community bike ride led by the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and Circulate San Diego. Dozens of participants rode the new bike lanes north on Fifth Avenue, from Bankers Hill to Hillcrest, before heading south on Fourth Avenue toward Downtown.

The bikeways run along Fourth and Fifth avenues between B Street and Washington Street in the City of San Diego. In addition to the bikeways, the project features high-visibility crosswalks, dedicated bike signals, accessible curb ramps, upgraded bus stops, landscaping, and other traffic calming measures.

“The Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways project is a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we work together with a common goal of creating safe and efficient travel options for people to get where they need to go,” said Councilmember Whitburn. “With the completion of this project, the City of San Diego and SANDAG have reaffirmed our commitment to Vision Zero today and for generations to come.”

These vital bikeways are opening ahead of Bike Month in May and SANDAG Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 19, when thousands of commuters will take to the streets and GO by BIKE to work. Participants may pick up their free commemorative t-shirt at pit stop locations throughout the region.

The Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways are key to helping SANDAG achieve the vision outlined in the Regional Bike Plan Early Action Program (EAP), an initiative approved by the SANDAG Board of Directors in 2013 to build a regional network of high-quality streets and bikeways that reimagines how we use space on our streets to make them safer and more comfortable for every person who uses them, regardless of age or physical ability.

Including the new 4.5 miles of bikeways opened today, more than 16 miles of bikeways in the EAP are complete and open to the public. SANDAG is set to open an additional 6.5 miles and break ground on nearly 19 miles of bikeways in 2022.

“These are the roadway improvements we want to see,” said San Diego County Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Andy Hanshaw. “The safety improvements on the Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways will provide a more enjoyable experience for anyone choosing to go by bike in San Diego and will help more people choose active transportation.”

The $12.2 million bikeway project, which broke ground in summer 2020, was funded by TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG.

For media inquiries, please contact Stacy Garcia at 619.699.1950 or PIO@sandag.org