An environmental report published late last month by the City of Los Angeles offers a look at plans for a nearly one-mile extension of the Los Angeles River Bikeway adjacent to Griffith Park. 

The project, officially known as the Los Angeles River Phase IV Bike Path, would span approximately 4,600 feet in length from just west of Riverside Drive to just east of Forest Lawn Drive. Plans call for a new paved path on the northern side of the trail, for use by pedestrians and cyclists, as well as an unpaved equestrian trail along the southern side of the alignment. Other improvements would include retaining walls, fencing, and lighting.

Rendering of Los Angeles River Phase IV bike path projectCity of Los Angeles

The right-of-way to be used for the project is an existing utility road along the bank of the river which falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The right-of-way has sufficient space for a 12-foot-wide bike path (including two lanes and shoulders) and a 10-foot-wide equestrian trail.

Construction is expected to occur over a roughly two-and-a-half year period commencing in Winter 2026 and concluding in Winter 2029.

Project areaCity of Los Angeles

An additional 13 miles of L.A. River bike path are planned elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley as part of a $200-million project being undertaken by Metro and the City of Los Angeles. That includes a segment which would continue westward from the Forest Lawn endpoint of the Phase IV project.

Metro is also attempting to close an eight-mile gap in the bike path between Elysian Valley, Downtown, and the City of Maywood through its L.A. River Path project. The cost of that effort is estimated at $1 billion.

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