Maintenance/Realignment of the Oroville Brad B. Freeman Bike Trail

Maintenance/Realignment of the Oroville Brad B. Freeman Bike Trail

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is proposing to maintain/realign a 3, 300-foot-long portion of the 41-mile-long Brad B. Freeman Bike Trail. The Brad B. Freeman Trail loop provides scenic off-road recreation, originally constructed primarily for all-terrain bikes. The trail follows shoreline portions of the Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay, and the Diversion Pool, and crosses the Oroville Wildlife Area, as well as the crest of Oroville Dam. The portion of the trail is used by hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The project area includes the current trail crossing of the Union Pacific railroad tracks as they approach the southern shoreline of the Diversion Pool near the Lakeland Boulevard trailhead. The project involves trail relocation to pass under the railroad bridge rather than allowing trail users to hazardously cross the tracks at grade (Figure 1). Approximately 3,300 feet of trail would be relocated and 400 feet of fencing would be installed to prevent access to the railroad right of way and tracks. The relocated trail would maintain the same design standards as other portions of the trail including widths of 4 to 6 feet. A few small segments of the relocated trail will be surfaced with a clean road-base material. No mature trees would be removed. The proposed project involves trail relocation and barrier fencing.