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July 2025 Update
This is a recap of the history of the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge project at the San Diego River Crossing between June 2021 and June 2025. This is a disappointing story, as the project has stopped without the bridge completed. Time is a Thief The project took an enormous amount of time. We slogged through […]
Bee helps kill bridge buzz
Max Lenail’s father cites government mindset as one reason for memorial project’s halt In January of 2021, Max Lenail drowned in the San Diego River while attempting to cross over a swollen section of the water near the Jackson Drive entrance of Mission Trails Regional Park. He had just gone for a long run. He was 21 […]
“Coffee with Constituents” with Congresswoman Sara Jacobs and Councilmember Raul Campillo
Dear Friends: I attended a “Coffee with Constituents” with Congresswoman Sara Jacobs and Councilmember Raul Campillo at the Mission Trails Visitor Center on April 26, 2025. The event was capped at 70 people, who asked a mix of local and national questions. I had time with both Congresswoman Jacobs and Councilmember Campillo, who expressed their strong […]
Bridge for Max | Parents honor son’s legacy by protecting future hikers
Max Lenail died in 2021 when trying to cross the river in Mission Trails Park. His parents Ben and Laurie hope the Bridge for Max project will prevent hiking accidents for generations to come. CBS News 8 story by Katy Stegall, Dorian Hargrove, Alex Lai To read the full story go here.
October 2024 Update
Dear Friends: I had several productive meetings in San Diego yesterday, to advance the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge to the next step. It is a critical time for the project. I am both excited and tense. I met Kevin Legge in-person for the first time. I hired Kevin to help me manage the project in the year ahead. This […]
July 2024 Update
On July 18, Ben spent the day at Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego. He first took a trip to the San Diego River Crossing where Max died on January 29, 2021; and where the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge will be built. Senior Ranger Julie Aielts accompanied him, and they paid their respects together. The […]
February 2024 Update
Dear Friends We recently marked the three-year anniversary of Max’s tragic death at the San Diego River Crossing at Mission Trails Regional Park. It is fortuitous that the project to build the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge is making good progress. We’re aiming for construction in 2025, early 2026 at the latest. We (Ben and Laurie), in partnership […]
Outside – A Bridge for Max
In 2021, Max LeNail drowned while trail running in a San Diego park. His parents demanded a bridge. Two years later, they’re still fighting. Max LeNail was five minutes away from the end of his run when the hail storm started. He had already summited the South Fortuna peak in San Diego, California’s Mission Trails […]
Bridge for Max Summer 2023 Update
Dear Friends, I spent the past two days in San Diego to get the Max Lenail Memorial Bridge back on track. I made good progress. Laurie and I always knew that we would face government bureaucracy, and that we would have to stay very involved in the project. It is a private project on public […]
2022 End of Year BridgeForMax Update
Dear Friends: The Max Lenail Memorial Bridge project is very much alive, and our goal continues to have the inauguration by January 29, 2024, the third anniversary of Max’s death. All year, our prime contractor KPFF has been working hard to complete physical and environmental surveys and obtain all necessary permits. We have a precise […]