Johnny Cash Trail to Be Completed Near Folsom State Prison

FOLSOM, Calif. — Work on the second phase of the Johnny Cash Trail is now under construction, making it easier for prison employees at Folsom State Prison to bike to and from work.

The $3.23 million trail passes through the western edge of Folsom State Prison and the neighboring California State Prison, Sacramento. Built in two phases, both parts of the project are being constructed by Newcastle, Calif.-based Westcon Construction Inc.

The first phase was completed in late 2014 and added about 1.25 miles of Class 1 bike trail to the other 35 miles of bike trails currently available in the city of Folsom. It also included the construction of the Johnny Cash Bridge, built over the four-lane Folsom Lake Crossing and designed to look like the Gothic guard towers at Folsom State Prison’s west gate. This second phase, also about 1.25-miles long, includes a paved trail spur for Folsom prison employees between Natoma Street and the prison employee parking lot. In fact, prison officials agreed to authorize the trail’s construction as long as an off-street trail was built for employees hoping to commute to work via bike.

Once the second phase is completed later this year, the Johnny Cash Trail will connect to an existing trail at Rodeo Park, making it accessible to Folsom’s historic district and the American Parkway Trail, according to The Sacramento Bee. Funding for the project came from various federal grants and local transportation funds.

The trail pays homage to the late Johnny Cash who wrote the famous “Folsom Prison Blues” song and recorded a live album at the prison in 1968 in an effort to give back to the incarcerated community.