\u201cI think all of them need art,\u201d he said in Spanish, referring to pedestrian bridges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caltrans shared this month that the transportation agency partnered with local residents and artists to bring the project, years in the making, to life. Construction workers finally executed the vision in May.<\/p>\n
Nicholas Buenviaje, the government and community affairs manager for Caltrans\u2019 San Diego region, said the project pilots a creative solution to make transit infrastructure and the community space work together better.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people have told us, \u2018Hey, it\u2019s dark, this bridge is important but the conditions aren\u2019t great.\u2019 So we saw this as a small way to do something impactful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said this \u201cpavement preservation product\u201d cost less than $200,000, which compares far less to building new electrical infrastructure for lights. Plus, he said the product also helps lower ground temperatures, preserve the bridge surface and deter vandalism.<\/p>\n
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People walk across the Willow Road pedestrian bridge, July 16, 2026. (Crystal Niebla\/inewsource)<\/p>\n
Cristian Fuentes, who chairs the San Ysidro Community Planning Group, said some problems still persist on the bridge, but it\u2019s far less severe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said he gave walking tours to local politicians and stakeholders to show the conditions and submitted a letter about a year ago requesting improvements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might not solve the problem entirely, but basically, it provides a bit more lighting and attracts more people \u2014 especially the many children who cross that bridge to get to Willow Elementary,\u201d he said in Spanish.<\/p>\n
Neighbors agree.<\/p>\n
Eddie Garcia, 33, walks his children across the bridge to Willow Elementary during the school year, which sits right at the end of the southern side of the bridge.<\/p>\n
He lives in a mobile home community just a few hundred feet away from the bridge on the north side.<\/p>\n
Before the ground mural, he said on the bridge he used to see people using drugs, sleeping on the ground and more trash. Now, he said the new mural has been a noticeable deterrent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it\u2019s working, but I\u2019d say maybe a bit more light \u2014 or something so it\u2019s visible \u2014 because you can\u2019t see much at night,\u201d he said in Spanish.<\/p>\n
San Ysidro high schooler Mizael Melgoza, 15, used the bridge when he attended Willow. Now he travels to a local shopping center.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never seen a bridge like that,\u201d he said. \u201cLast time it was really dirty and nasty, so I think it\u2019s a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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San Ysidro resident Luis Romero walks down the Willow Road pedestrian bridge, July 16, 2026. (Crystal Niebla\/inewsource)<\/p>\n
Miguel Figueroa, who\u2019s part of an homeless outreach team in the South Bay for PATH San Diego, said people living under and adjacent to the pedestrian bridge find this specific area safe.<\/p>\n
Figueroa makes rounds in San Ysidro and recently learned of people living there. His team\u2019s outreach has led to some progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter speaking with them, we understood that some of them are interested in programs, some of them are interested in shelter, and just getting some type of resource or service,\u201d he told inewsource during a visit to the bridge Thursday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ana Garcia Franco, 56, told inewsource that she set up camp there several months ago. Significant hardships led her to homelessness, including the death of her husband and substance abuse.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s one of the people who is accepting help from PATH. In the meantime, she greets pedestrians traveling up the bridge, even if they don\u2019t respond. At night, she shares the same fears of walking a dark path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to be here, and I like to greet them because I don\u2019t want them to feel scared,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Garcia Franco likes to paint and said she offered construction crews to help them with the mural project. None of them disturbed her encampment, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we are the intruders because the kids go through here for school and everything, and it\u2019s not right for us to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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