SAN DIEGO — Access to Balboa Park from the Golden Hill area is now much safer and easier.

 A ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday marked the completion of a project to restore the pedestrian pathway along 26th Street that connects the neighborhood to the south end of the park.

The original footpath was created naturally by bikers and pedestrians using the route to access Balboa Park from Golden Hill.

In 2019, the Forever Balboa Park organization, in partnership with the California Conservation Corps, decided to take on the project of clearing, widening and stabilizing the trail to make it easier and safer for those travelers to navigate.

Four years later, the $380,000 project is now complete.

The new pathway features wooden fencing to provide protection for trail users from vehicle traffic on 26th Street, as well as small wooden bridges to make the route safer and more accessible for all pedestrians.

While this trail is accessible for more people after the restoration, it is not officially ADA accessible. There are stairs leading down to the trail from Golden Hill Park.

In addition to stabilizing the trail, 25 baby coast live oak trees were planted to add shade and some fresh scenery to the trail.

“This means so much to me,” Golden Hill resident Josh Barqawi said to FOX 5. “Just to see this park continue to come to life is such a blessing.”