Rialto Approves Roughly $730,000 for Cactus Trail Solar Light Project
2 min read
A rider travels along the Cactus Trail in Rialto. The City Council approved a nearly $730,000 project June 23 to install solar lighting along the 1.5-mile trail between Rialto Avenue and Baseline Road. Photo by Christopher Salazar.
The 1.5-mile Cactus Trail between Rialto Avenue and Baseline Road will soon be illuminated. The Rialto City Council unanimously approved a nearly $730,000 work order on June 23 with St. Francis Electric to install solar lighting along the path.
Completed in 2023, the trail connects residents to schools, parks and businesses, while linking northern Rialto with the city’s downtown and the Pacific Electric Trail. Without proper lighting, however, its use is limited and potentially hazardous.
According to Mayor Joe Baca Sr., residents have expressed concerns about using the trail after dark, especially during the fall and winter months when daylight fades quickly.
Resident Alex Suazo, a young amateur boxer out of Islas Boxing Academy preparing for an upcoming fight in San Bernardino, paused his run up the concrete walkway to speak with Inland Empire Community News (IECN).
“I actually know a guy who got hit,” Suazo said as the sweat beaded off his chin, his hands still wrapped in red tape. “There’s no lights on this trail.”
Recounting how a bicyclist couldn’t see his strolling colleague, Suazo thought about the solar upgrade and the people familiar with the route and its limitations and said: “They might feel safer.”
The staff report states the $729,782.74 project will feature 99 solar-powered light poles equipped with LED fixtures that will be installed along the trail between Rialto Avenue and Baseline Road. Spaced 80 feet apart, the lights are intended to improve safety and extend the trail’s usability into the evening. The city will construct the project in four phases over 17 weeks and seek reimbursement from San Bernardino County under a previously approved memorandum of understanding providing up to $859,100 in funding.
Baca credited San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. with securing funding for the project, saying the city will maintain the lighting while the county covers installation costs.
“A lot of people use the Cactus Trail,” Baca told IECN. “At least now they can do their walking in the evenings as well, and so it creates a safe haven for individuals who are willing to exercise.”
