Blog Cards
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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 […]
Marking the One-Year Anniversary + Great Progress on the Max LeNail Memorial Bridge
Laurie and I are immensely grateful for the many messages, letters, and gifts we received from you to mark the One-Year Anniversary of Max’s tragic death. On Saturday, we went to Mission Trails Regional Park for a time of remembrance, community, and celebration of the progress with the Max LeNail Memorial Bridge. We gathered at the […]
Wonderful End of Year Updates
Progress on BridgeForMax continues. Here are some key updates We have selected a prime contractor for the Bridge for Max project: KPFF Consulting Engineers. We evaluated other compelling proposals, and KPFF won on the merits. Their architectural partner is Safdie Rabines, and their environmental consultant is UltraSystems. The project is now starting in earnest. We are expecting a major gift into the Max […]
Exciting October Update
Dear Friends, Laurie and I continue to be fully committed to build the Max LeNail Memorial Bridge in San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park. We are making steady and substantial progress towards our goal. After recent rains, the San Diego River Crossing where Max drowned on January 29 is now under three feet of water. The City Attorney has installed […]
San Diego Councilman And Senator Secure $1.5 Million For ‘Bridge For Max’
City Councilman Raul Campillo on Thursday announced $1.5 million in state funding for the “Bridge for Max” initiative to construct a pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the San Diego River Trail Crossing in the park where a 21-year-old man drowned in January. [Read more at KPBS]
‘Bridge For Max’ project gets $1.5M state grant
A family’s push to bring a bridge to the Mission Trails river crossing where their son died in January just got a major boost from the state. District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo joined Max LeNail’s family Thursday to announce a $1.5 million grant from the state will help fund the project at Mission Trails Regional […]
Press conference to announce major public funding for #BridgeForMax
Laurie Yoler and Ben Lenail will be in San Diego on July 22nd to participate in a press conference with the Mayor, the President of the California State Senate, and Councilmember Raul A. Campillo to announce major public funding for the Maximilian Lenail Memorial Bridge. This public funding, added to the $750K that has already raised from family, friends […]
Councilmembers Join Call For Bridge Over San Diego River to Honor Runner, 21, Who Drowned
Max LeNail was on a run in Mission Trails, which encompasses 8,000 acres and more than 60 miles of trails, when he went missing in January. City Councilmember Raul Campillo, chair of the Mission Trails Regional Park Task Force, said Wednesday he supports constructing a pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the San Diego River Crossing […]