Eyes on the Street: L.A. River Bridge Construction Nears Completion

The Glendale Narrows L.A. River bike path is seeing a lot of new construction. In North Atwater/Los Feliz, the new La Kretz multi-modal bridge is nearing completion. Construction on other new bike/ped facilities is also getting underway.

Readers who bike or walk in the area, or who drive on the 5 Freeway, have probably seen the tall white spire of the La Kretz bridge across from Griffith Park, about a half-mile north of Los Feliz Boulevard. The La Kretz bridge will soon connect North Atwater to Griffith Park.

In June, Curbed reported that the project is on schedule to be completed later this year.

The bridge is designed for shared use by pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians. The bridge will feature two separate parallel 12-foot wide paths. The approaches allow for equestrians to see and share space with pedestrians and cyclists.

The project has has an unusual history in that it is partially privately- and partially publicly-funded. It is being built by the city of L.A.’s Bureau of Engineering.

The central spire appears more-or-less completed, though there is still work to be done to complete the paths and approaches.

Less than a half-dozen miles downstream construction is underway on another bike-ped bridge. That one will connect Elysian Valley with Taylor Yard, and is expected to completed in 2021.

The Elysian Valley bridge is not as far along as the one in North Atwater, but construction is definitely underway.

There is also (not pictured) some construction getting underway at the the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge, which is being retrofitted. That project includes a new bike-ped crossing atop the old Red Line pier walls.

Despite all this construction, the river bike path remains fairly bike-able, with some detours.

Near the 134 Freeway, a fourth bike-ped bridge is planned to connect Glendale to Griffith Park. Urbanize is reporting that tomorrow the city of Glendale is expected to approve nearly $19 million for the project.