Private Planning Effort Spearheads Los Angeles River Bike Path Proposal

Sam Lubell reports on an ambitious proposal for a bike lane inside the channel of the Los Angeles River. The project is the brainchild of local developer Yuval Bar-Zemer, with the blessing for an initial study from the city and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Here is how Lubell describes the proposed bike path: "The plan for the trail, which Bar-Zemer designed with Geosyntec engineering consultants and wHY architects, is composed of precast or cast-in-place concrete panels that are fluted on their underside to allow the passage of water. The panels sit six inches above the riverbed. Diagonal fissures in the sloped ramps connect bikers on the existing raised paths to the channel path."

As for the unique way the plan has hatched: "In May, Bar-Zemer received approval to begin a feasibility study from the city and METRO, the county transit agency. The approval comes after a year of delay stemming largely from the hesitancy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which initially objected to any public access inside the channel due to safety and water management concerns."

Lubell goes on to provide more details about how the path would work and the additional steps needed for project completion.