Crystal Springs Reservoir bridge does it right

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Crystal Springs Reservoir Bridge in 2019 and 2008.

Today I rode over to check out the new Crystal Springs Reservoir bridge, which has been under construction for about a million years.

It was finally open to the public on January 11. It was supposed to open in 2011. At the same time San Mateo County and other agencies opened a 0.8 mile extension of the Crystal Springs Trail.

The flat trail follows the reservoir shoreline, eliminating some hills on Skyline Boulevard, which also has traffic moving at 45-50 mph.

I dredged up some photos from 2008 when I was last there. The reservoir remains the same, but it’s seven feet higher now.

It’s really worth a visit, especially considering Cañada Road is closed to cars every Sunday.

There’s a transition on Hwy 92 for a short distance to reach Skyline Boulevard, which requires caution. On weekends it’s usually a zoo here as motorists drive to Half Moon Bay and the coast. It’s also busy on weekdays. The good news is that there’s a new layer of asphalt and striping.

The Cañada Road/Skyline Boulevard route is probably the best way to get to San Francisco by bike, although it’s not great. I’ve ridden to San Francisco from Palo Alto and Santa Clara a half-dozen times.

It would be nice if we had a bike path all the way, but it’s not quite there.

The big downer is the Hwy 1/Skyline Boulevard interchange with its cloverleaf. It’s a nasty stretch of merging cars going fast.

There are alternatives next to the interchange, although they involve more hills. I’ve always stayed on Skyline.

Those days of riding to San Francisco ended in 2009.

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New section of Crystal Springs Trail, opened in 2014 or so according to the sign.