Long-Delayed L.A. River โBike Path Faces Further Delays,Cost Overruns
A $1 billion bike path project alongโ the Losโข Angeles River,intended to connectโค multiple cities and provideโข a crucial recreational and transportation link,is facing meaningful delays and escalating costs,pushing its completion date back years beyond initial projections.Originally slated to open to bikers and pedestrians in 2024,the project is now not expected to be finalizedโ until 2026 orโค 2027,according to Losโ Angeles Metro officials.
The enterprising path, funded largely through the 2016 Measureโ M transportation sales tax, has become bogged down in bureaucratic hurdles, funding gaps, and challenges securingโข an agency to oversee its long-term operation and maintenance. The delays impact not only cyclistsโ and pedestrians eager forโข the newโค route, but also raise questions about the management ofโ large-scale infrastructure projects โfunded by publicโค money inโค Los Angeles County.
The โคplanned 29-mile path aims to run along the entire length of the Los Angeles River, from Canoga Park to Long Beach, offeringโข a car-free corridor for recreation andโฃ commuting. Though, nearly a decade after Measure โMโฃ allocated funding, the project is grappling โwith a significant funding โฃshortfall. Current cost โestimates exceed initial projections,โค leaving a gap that LA Metro is attempting to fill through additional sources, including state Active Transportation Program grants.
“Thatโข leaves โฃa funding gapโ between what Measure M planned for and โwhat the costs are โnow, nearly 10โ years later,” according โto reporting by the Los Angeles Daily News.
The โฃpath’s progress is currently stalled while LA Metro prepares to releaseโ a draft environmental impact report later โthis year. This will โขbe followed by public hearings, a determinationโค of a preferred project design from several alternatives, โand the release of a final environmental impact report. Simultaneously, the agency is actively seekingโค an organization to assume responsibility for the path’s โขongoing operation and maintenance.