Riders Head North on Current Segment of LA River Bike Trail
Riders on the L.A. River Bike Path have probably noticed it's not the most continuous path in the world. During the 50-mile River Ride last Spring, I probably spent about 40% of the ride on the streets of Los Angeles because the trail doesn't yet connect all the way through. But going with the theme recently, change is in the air.
L.A. Creek Freak, a labor of love by Joe Linton, has details and route information on how some of those gaps are going to be filled in, with construction starting in 2009. In addition to maps, Linton provides descriptions of the nearly five miles of bike trails that will be added in the next couple of years.
The city of Los Angeles has planned a 2-mile segment of the Los Angeles River bikeway from Mason Avenue to VanAlden Avenuein the west San Fernando Valley. The bikeway will be on the south bankof the river and will include grade-separated underpasses at VanowenStreet, Winnetka Avenue, Corbin Avenue, and Tampa Avenue. This bikewayproject is being done in conjunction with bridge retrofit projects atTampa, Winnetka, and Vanowen.
The initial phase will include just the Tampa Avenue Bridge. The approximately 0.8-miles bikeway will extend from Corbin Avenue to Vanalden Avenue adjacent to the Westfield Promenade mall.Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2009, and won’t be donebefore late 2011. The construction is estimated to take 20 months, butis not permitted to proceed inside the river channel during the wetweather season...
...Officially, this 2.7-mile bike path is called Phase 1C of the Los Angeles River bikeway. It extends from Fletcher Drive to Barclay Street. That’s from just above the 2 Freeway to nearly the 110 Freeway. Thestretch currently has an unimproved access road used unofficially bybicyclists and pedestrians every day, though the surface is uneven andthere are about a half-dozen large dips where street ends draindirectly into the river. The old asphalt road is also damaged from theroots of adjacent cottonwood trees.
The project will extend the existing 4.5-mile Glendale Narrowsbikeway to an uninterrupted total of 7.1 miles. It will include anundercrossing at Fletcher Drive, resurfacing, and lighting.
For more information on the upcoming additions check out L.A. Creek Freak.
Photo: Atwater Village Newbie/Flickr
