The Bike Program was recently notified by Caltrans that a northern portion of the Los Angeles River Bike Path will be closed for approximately four months. This closure is occurring due to the Interstate 5 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane widening project. The detour will cover the Bike Path from just north of the Autry National Center to where Riverside Dr crosses over Hwy 134. There may also be additional closures in other portions of the bike path as needed for construction.
As the start date for construction has yet to be determined, the bike path closure date has not been set. Official closure dates, as well as updates to construction and other possible closures, will be updated here. The first update will occur one week prior to the initial closure.
The primary detour will travel along Zoo Dr, which already has a standard bike lane from Riverside Dr to Western Heritage Way (totaling around 1.1 miles). Temporary signage will be posted to both guide bicyclists along the alternate route, as well as to inform drivers of the increased ridership on the street. In the area where a standard lane has not yet been installed, from the southern closure point to Western Heritage Way and Zoo Dr (roughly 0.3 miles), Caltrans will install signage indicating that bikes may use the full lane.
Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, either emailing us or by posting below.
I really think that when this happens, we should try to get a temporary bike lane striping. I mean, when there is construction, they often restripe the roads for cars. Why not add bike lanes the whole detour length during the construction (especially multi-month deals like this)? I think signage isn’t going to ease the cyclists who get bullied every day when they take the lane. People really don’t understand the law. Or what about the timid riders who can’t take the lane cause it is too scary? Seriously, this isn’t acceptable.
[…] in Malibu’s PCH safety study. A section of the L.A. River bike path near Griffith Park will be closed for approximately four months to make room for — what else? — more cars. The North Mason Avenue bike lane could be closed […]
About a third of the proposed detour on Zoo Drive — the northerly/westerly part — currently does not have bike lanes because of the road construction connected with DWP replacing major water pipes in the area. In that location, the pavement of Zoo Drive is in very bad condition and there are occasional metal plates there as well. There is currently no shoulder. There are small signs advising people to share the road but because the the pavement is bad, bikes cannot go very fast. This irritates vehicle drivers, who drive too close the cyclists or nearly run head-on into oncoming traffic. This is not a safe area. Moving more cyclists into a road in this condition makes it even more safe. This is a bad accident waiting to happen.
Mike: yes, we do understand that the detour on Zoo Drive is currently undergoing some DWP construction. However, the roadway is still open, and is the only alternative to the bike path within reasonable proximity at this location. The relative short length of the detour and the low speed conditions help mitigate the fact that the pavement is in less than ideal condition. We’ll do our best to reach out to DWP to see what measures they can take to ensure sensitivity to bicyclists along this corridor as far as construction conditions are concerned.
Sorry, the next to last sentence should have read, “Moving more cyclists into a road in this condition makes it even more UNsafe.”