This morning, City Council President Paul Krekorian and City Councilmember Imelda Padilla were among city leaders who cut the ceremonial ribbon on four new miles of walk/bike path along San Fernando Road.
Speeches in praise of the new bike/walk facility were sometimes drowned out by noise from the adjacent Burbank Airport, and by trains and train-crossing bells.
Streetsblog last reported on this project in early 2022, when construction was already mostly complete. The path extension is L.A. City's third phase of a now ten-mile-long path with sections in the cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando. The multi-use path currently extends along San Fernando Road from Roxford Street (in Sylmar) to Cohasset Street (in Sun Valley). The southern terminus is at the L.A./Burbank city limit, adjacent to the Burbank Airport North Metrolink Station.
The project has been in the works since at least the 1990s, but took quite a while due to coordination of various parties involved within an active rail corridor. Today Metrolink Antelope Valley Line trains operate there, and there are plans for the portions of the right-of-way to serve the future Metro East San Fernando Valley light rail line and California High-Speed Rail.
Where the bike/walk path intersects with streets next to active rail tracks, the project added various new rail safety features, plus widening (adding more lanes for drivers) on Arvilla Avenue (completed in 2023). The path project also added landscaping, solar-powered lighting, fences, and a new bike/walk bridge over the Tujunga Wash.
"The community is very happy to have a safe place to walk and bike, chat with their kids while they're exercising" stated Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council President Norma Chavez. "You can see that every evening, when it's just packed with families walking and enjoying this wonderful green space."
