Construction on LA River’s Atwater Village-Griffith Park bridge to start in April

Construction on a striking and expensive bridge to connect Atwater Village and Griffith Park is about to get underway.

Preparation for the $16-million bridge’s construction is beginning this week, with major construction starting in mid-April, says city engineering bureau spokesperson Mary Nemick. The work is slated to wrap up next fall.

During construction, the LA River Bike Path will be closed from Los Feliz Boulevard to Colorado Street, starting in late April. To get around the closure, it’s recommended that people on bikes detour onto Crystal Springs Road into Griffith Park.

Called the North Atwater Bridge bridge, it will offer pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians a way to cross the river between North Atwater Park and Griffith Park.

The crossing has been highly anticipated since plans for the bridge were floated in 2011. The project was approved in 2013, and Crossroads of the World owner Morton La Kretz kicked in an almost $5 million to make it happen. But the project was delayed and by 2014, the cost estimate had swelled to $9 million. By last year, that number had ballooned to just over $16 million.

The North Atwater Bridge is not the only one planned for this LA River Bike Path-adjacent section of the river. A bright orange bridge connecting Elysian Valley and Cypress Park is expected to begin construction this summer.

Another bridge is planned that could connect Glendale and Griffith Park. A state ballot measure, if passed in June, would make $20 million available for that bridge’s construction.

• Eye-catching Atwater Village-Griffith Park Bridge might begin construction this summer [Curbed LA]
• Flashy Atwater Village-Griffith Park bridge is way over budget [Curbed LA]
• LA River’s Atwater Village-Griffith Park bridge is a very expensive ‘gift’ [Curbed LA]