Southwest Fresno Trail

Located in California’s Central Valley, the Southwest Fresno Trail is a two-mile, Class I active transportation corridor delivering safe, dignified walking and biking connections in a historically underserved neighborhood. Designed through extensive community collaboration, the trail links residents to schools, parks, and a community garden while introducing critical shade, stormwater infrastructure, and safety improvements in one of Fresno’s hottest and most pollution-burdened areas.

Sherwood Design Engineers served as prime consultant for the City of Fresno, leading a multidisciplinary team of engineers and landscape architects through design and construction. The project represents the first trail built in southwest Fresno and the first phase of a larger vision to extend active transportation connections into downtown and the city’s business district. Built along the Fanning Ditch corridor from West Avenue to Thorne Avenue, the trail creates a buffered, fully paved route that separates pedestrians and cyclists from traffic while improving roadway crossings with curb ramps, high-visibility crosswalks, lighting, and traffic-calming measures.

Perspective Sketches of Southwest Fresno Trail | Image Credits: PGA Design

Equity, climate resilience, and long-term performance were central to the design. Sherwood helped integrate 140 new shade trees to mitigate extreme heat and reduce urban heat island effects, selecting drought-tolerant, low-pollen species that thrive without irrigation. Passive stormwater features capture runoff to support tree health and reduce maintenance demands, while benches, lighting, and signage ensure comfort, safety, and accessibility for users of all ages.

Funded by California’s Transformative Climate Communities program, the trail reflects a community-driven process led by local partners and residents, whose input shaped everything from trail character to tree selection. The completed Southwest Fresno Trail demonstrates how thoughtful engineering and collaborative design can advance environmental justice, improve public health, and create lasting, resilient infrastructure that strengthens both community and ecology.