The city of Folsom soon will begin construction of the Johnny Cash Trail, a 2.5-mile bike trail near Folsom State Prison. A concrete bridge crossing Folsom Lake Crossing echoes design elements of the prison gates. Rendering courtesy of city of Folsom

In a couple of weeks Folsom will begin construction on a new $3 million Johnny Cash Trail for bikes, which includes a bridge over the busy four-lane Folsom Lake Crossing.

The bike trail is on an easement on the western edge of Folsom State Prison, the state’s second oldest prison, and its neighbor California State Prison Sacramento.

Both facilities are directly below Folsom Lake.

The trail’s name comes from the legendary singer’s 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues,” the January 1968 concert at the prison and the subsequent hit album “At Folsom Prison” of that same year.

The bridge over Folsom Lake Crossing is the most expensive part of the project, and it will safely carry riders over the busy traffic of Folsom Lake Crossing and East Natoma Street, which connects Granite Bay with Folsom and El Dorado Hills.

The concrete bridge is designed to reflect the look of the Gothic guard towers of Folsom State Prison’s west gate, said Robert Goss, director of parks and recreation in Folsom.

“We didn’t copy the design, but you can’t miss the connection,” he said.

The city of Folsom has 35 miles of Class 1 bike trail, which are trails for bikes only and not shared on city streets. This new segment of trail adds about 2.5 miles of Class 1 bike trail parallel with East Natoma Street and makes a connection with the city’s civic center and also with the American River Bike Trail.

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