The eight-mile gap in the L.A. River bike path downtown has a billion-dollar problem
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Set us as preferred Someday, you might be able to ride a bike from the western San Fernando Valley to Long Beach along the Los Angeles River.But not yet.
The longest unfinished stretch is the eight miles from Elysian Park through downtown to Maywood.For decades, advocates of the path have tried to complete those eight miles along the concretized river.
Yet a decade later, the unrideable gap remains.The ambitious project remains mired in planning and bureaucratic complications, with groundbreaking still two years off and the cost nearly tripling to more than $1 billion — almost $24,000 per foot — documents reviewed by The Times show.It looked like the prospects for the bike route to the sea were getting serious after Angelenos enthusiastically passed a half-cent tax for transit projects in 2016 that earmarked $365 million for the L.A.
River Path.At the time, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the lead on the project, priced out a simple path on one side of the river.But by last year, the proposed designs were much wider and added seven pedestrian bridges.They also included sections where the path would be elevated above the ground, supported by beams.
The changes responded to community input and comments from the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers and L.A.
Department of Water and Power, among others.Estimated completion of the initial phase is not until 2031.Navigating the web of nearby structures, like active rail lines and historic bridges, is part of what makes the construction so complex, Metro says.
An original $75 million set aside for unforeseen expenses in 2016 swelled to $309 million last year, and the rising cost of construction also added to the high price tag.Advocates for the path say this grander plan would be great, if there were a way to pay for it.Yuval Bar-Zemer is a board member with Streets for Al...