Glendale/Griffith Park bridge across LA River closing in on funding

A bridge across the LA River that will link Griffith Park and Glendale stands to receive in $20 million in state money under a ballot measure that might appear in the June election, according to California Assemblymember Laura Friedman, whose district includes Glendale and who’s working to lock in the funding.

The over-300-foot-long bridge will link the LA River Greenway Trail—the pedestrian and bike path that goes along the Griffith Park side of the river—with the Glendale side of the river, the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, and Glendale’s bikeway system. (It’ll link Flower Street with Griffith’s Ferraro Soccer Complex, a rep for Friedman tells Curbed.)

“Thousands of residents on the Glendale side live in the shadow of Griffith Park with no way to get there without braving the freeway or driving for miles on city streets through Burbank or Los Angeles,” says Friedman.

They money is contingent on the state legislature approving a state bill, California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018. That bill would put a bond measure on the June 2018 ballot, and if voters approve the measure, $20 million would be allocated for the bridge.

Designs show the bridge with two shade structures that look like blooming flowers and a couple places for people to stop and rest.

Via City of Glendale

Right now, the LA River and the 5 Freeway separate the two sides of the river, and the only crossing in the area for cyclists wanting to get from one side to the other are the Riverside Drive bridge or the Los Feliz Boulevard bridge, both treacherous for a person on foot or on bike.

Bridges spanning the river are in the works at two other spots not far from this one. A $16 million bridge planned between Atwater Village and Griffith Park was originally proposed as a gift from developer Morton La Kretz. Now it looks like the bridge will be largely paid for by the public.

In Cypress Park, a bold orange bridge for bikes and pedestrians has been approved by city officials but is still a few years away from starting construction.

• See All the Potential Designs For the Glendale/Griffith Park Bridge Across the LA River [Curbed LA]