Tijuana’s city government and the Economic Development Council of Tijuana (CDT) have begun construction on a 3.3-kilometer bike lane along the Río Tijuana canal in the Zona Río district. Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz announced the project on May 23, calling it an overdue investment in non-motorized transportation for a city of Tijuana’s size and growth rate.
The project involves a full rehabilitation of the existing cycling path that runs atop the concrete canal cutting through Zona Río, one of the city’s main commercial and cultural corridors. Work will also include new connection ramps at Puente México and Puente Márquez de León, two key bridges that currently leave cyclists without safe access to the route.
Lighting, Signage, and Cleanup Planned
Beyond repaving, the scope covers new lighting, cycling signage, and cleanup of the canal corridor. The path had fallen into disrepair over recent years, with poor connectivity and limited maintenance keeping ridership below its potential. City officials estimate the upgraded route will serve more than 50,000 residents and regular cyclists.
The CDT co-designed the project and is helping manage its execution. The council, which typically focuses on business development, framed the bike lane as an economic competitiveness issue for the border city.
Cross-Border Cycling Connection on the Horizon
City planners have a longer-term goal: linking the Río Tijuana bike lane to San Diego County’s existing cycling infrastructure. The idea of a binational bike corridor is not new. In late 2021, Tijuana’s Secretary of Sustainable Urban Mobility outlined a 5.5-kilometer route that would connect the Chaparral border crossing area to the canal path through Paseo de los Héroes and Paseo Centenario. That earlier proposal never materialized, but the current project could lay the groundwork for an eventual car-free border crossing option for cyclists.
For anyone who has ridden or walked along the Río Tijuana canal, the area is familiar. The paved path already attracts joggers, walkers, and cyclists, and it runs through the heart of Zona Río near restaurants, shopping centers, and the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT). A reliable, well-lit bike lane would make the corridor safer, particularly after dark.
No Budget or Timeline Disclosed
Neither the city nor the CDT disclosed a project budget or a completion date. That omission is worth watching. Tijuana has a history of infrastructure announcements that stall once the initial press coverage fades. Still, the fact that construction crews have already begun work on site puts this project further along than most proposals at the announcement stage.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte and Tijuana en Línea.