An $18.8 million grant will fund three miles of LARiverWay trails in the West San Fernando Valley.
The new path is part of Metro’s project to create a continuous 51-mile bike path along the L.A. River from Canoga Park to Long Beach by 2025.
The grant is part of a $43.6 million award from the California Transportation Commission’s Active Transportation Program.
“The path to prosperity is paved with smart investments in our infrastructure,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We are fighting for every dollar possible to make our city more livable, reduce traffic fatalities on our roads, drive improvements on our streets, and create new spaces for walking and biking along our river.”
The three new miles of LARiverWay trail is described as a way to provide Angelenos with a safe place to walk and bike.
The other part of the grant—$24.8 million—will be directed toward the Broadway/Manchester Active Transportation Equity Project in South LA, where it will fund a dedicated bicycle lane; curb, sidewalk, and crosswalk enhancements; pedestrian islands and signals; new ADA access ramps; and urban shade along the corridor,” the announcement states.
“When the project is complete, the L.A. River will finally have a continuous bike path from the headwaters to the Sepulveda Basin,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. “One
day the LA River will be an amazing linear park that all Angelenos can enjoy. This project will connect the various new pocket parks I have helped create over the past few years and showcase the possibilities of the LA River.”
Currently, the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering is in the process of designing and constructing approximately 12.5 miles of new bike path and greenway facilities along the LA River in the San Fernando Valley. The new bike path will extend from Vanalden Avenue in the west to Forest Lawn Drive/Zoo Drive in the east. The section funded by the new grant extends from Vanalden Avenue to Burbank Boulevard, just north of the Sepulveda Dam.
This section of the LA River is just a deep, box-like concrete canal, but advocates for the project hope that will change. The LARiverWay project is part of a larger effort to ultimately restore the river to life, creating not only a bike route, but a greenway through the heart of LA.
