Hundreds of cyclists, walkers and even pets crossed the 5 Freeway in Irvine for the first time as they traversed the new Jeffrey Open Space Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
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The bridge is 15 feet wide and spans about 1,200 feet to offer a direct route over the fast-moving freeway, also connecting to the Jeffrey Road Park and Ride Lot and Walnut Avenue. It’s supported by six columns, features overhead lighting for night riders and is the city’s largest pedestrian bridge.
Pedestrians use the newly opened Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge spans across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A pink-eared pup in a pouch cruises on an e-bike across the just-opened Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclists lead the way over the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge after it officially opens in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge, at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue, takes pedestrians and bicyclists across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Darren Junge rides his 5-foot-tall unicycle across the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge after it officially opens in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclists lead the way over the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge after it officially opens in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge, at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue, takes pedestrians and bicyclists across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclists lead the way over the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge after it officially opens in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge, at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue, takes pedestrians and bicyclists across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Photographers focus on officials during a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge takes pedestrians and bicyclists over the Santa Ana Freeway in Irvine. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bicyclists cram the sidewalk on Jeffrey Road near Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, as they await the official opening of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge. The 1,200-foot bridge takes pedestrians and bicycylists across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man waits in the shade with his dog for the opening of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge near Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The sun beats down on the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge takes pedestrians and bicyclists over the Santa Ana Freeway near Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An Elliptigo rider zooms through the newly opened Jeffrey Open Space Trail bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Joe Greeninger strolls with his three grandchildren, including 9-month-old Emma, at the opening-day celebration of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge takes pedestrians and bicyclists over the Santa Ana Freeway near Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue. Unicyclist Valerie Schiano is at left. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pedestrians and bicyclists use the newly opened Jeffrey Open Space Trail bridge at Jeffrey Road and Walnut Avenue in Irvine on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The 1,200-foot bridge spans across the Santa Ana Freeway. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ignacio Sarmiento, 62, and a self-proclaimed “bicycle guy,” joined the crowd of cyclists geared up to wheel across the bridge Tuesday morning. He’d watched the bridge construction the last two years, but said he didn’t realize what it was building.
“But I’ll be back,” he said about his plans to add the bridge route to his morning treks.
“The Jeffrey Open Space Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge marks an important milestone in Irvine’s long-term vision for a connected and sustainable community,” Mayor Larry Again said, adding the overpass “completes a vital five-mile corridor through the heart of our city, giving residents a safer, healthier and more enjoyable way to walk, bike and connect with their neighborhoods and our remarkable open spaces.”
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In 2024, the city decided it would extend the northernmost tip of the existing 3.5-mile Jeffrey Open Space Trail — established early as a part of the city’s master-planned framework to cut diagonally across Irvine’s geographical core adjacent to Jeffrey Road.
In a city flush with trails and bikeway paths, the new pedestrian bridge completes that 1.5-mile extension running from Barranca Parkway to the 5 Freeway. Another planned section will, at build-out, provide a seamless ride from the Pacific Ocean all the way up to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest. The extension is supported by $14.5 million in state funding.
“This project reflects,” Agran said. “Irvine’s longstanding commitment to thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and creating a community designed around the well-being of the people who live here.”
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