The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded the City of Lancaster $5 million in Clean California Local Grant funding for the City’s Amargosa Recreational Trail Project. The project furthers opportunities for active transportation, healthy recreation, and community engagement by providing a roughly two-mile corridor of protected bicycle and pedestrian trails and public art along Amargosa Creek between Avenues H and J.The Caltrans Clean California Local Grant Program aims to clean and enhance public spaces through the beautification of local streets, parks, pathways, and transit centers, distributing approximately $296 million for local community projects throughout the state. The program’s main goals center on the removal of litter and debris, the addition of art in public spaces, and the advancement of cultural connection and equity to enhance communities and improve spaces for walking and recreation.
“The Amargosa Creek Recreational Trail Project will make a beautiful public space in Lancaster that connects residents and visitors to key cultural centers, businesses, recreational opportunities, residential communities, future developments, schools, healthcare facilities, and transit stops,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “We are honored that Caltrans recognized how impactful this project will be for our community.”
The Amargosa Creek Recreational Trail Project will provide greater pedestrian and bicyclist access to the BLVD District, Lancaster Town Center, AV Fair & Event Center, and many more hubs of transportation, economic development, and education, all while engaging the community in the development of the corridor’s public art and signage. The art featured along the corridor will highlight the Lancaster community’s desert landscape and waterway stewardship.
“The Clean California Local Grant Program was a great fit for our work on this trail project, and we couldn’t be more excited to have secured funding to move the project forward,” said Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist. “The goals of the grant program, from cleaning and beautifying our public spaces for walking and recreation, to ensuring that our community is advancing equity for underserved community members, align perfectly with what the Amargosa Recreational Trail will accomplish.”
Caltrans received over 300 applications for local grant projects, and the application submitted was one of 105 applications selected for the program. To learn more about the Clean CA Local Grant Program, visit cleancalifornia.dot.ca.gov/