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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Residents of Sun Valley may notice some changes Friday at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Arvilla Avenue, where city officials unveiled street enhancements as part of the third and final phase of the San Fernando Bike Path project.
On Thursday morning, Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian, who represents the Second District, cut the ribbon on the renovated and updated intersection.
The project added new paving and striping, upgraded sidewalks, curb cuts, handrails, signal lights and modernized safety gates.
Eighteen months ago, the intersection of San Fernando Road and Arvilla Avenue was a "neglected" crossroad where a grade-level railroad track, a major artery for trucks and auto traffic, an interrupted bike lane and a crooked side street met in a "confusing and dangerous tangle," according to Krekorian's office.
Phase 3 of construction of the San Fernando Bike Patch ran through the intersection, a development that necessitated closing San Fernando Road to through traffic at Arvilla, but created an opportunity for many other long- delayed improvements.
Covid-related supply chain disruptions and the wettest rainy season in 18 years delayed construction, while trucks diverted from their usual course rumbled through residential side streets.
The completed intersection is one of the last remaining pieces of the third and final phase of construction on the San Fernando Bike Path.
"Connecting the San Fernando Valley with continuous protected routes for cyclists has been a goal of mine since I was elected to the Council," Krekorian said in a statement.
"This path will provide the cyclists of the valley with nine miles of outdoor recreation and exercise, as well as a healthy and climate-friendly transportation option for those who choose to take advantage of it."
Connie Llanos, general manager of the Department of Transportation, Keith Mozee, StreetsLA executive director, Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle and Sgt. Jesse Ojeda of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division joined Krekorian Thursday to celebrate the much-needed safety improvements.
"StreetsLA is grateful for Krekorian's leadership, and we were proud to partner on this project," Mozee said in a statement. "These improvements further our bureau's goals of enhancing safety and mobility for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers."
The completed bike path will provide more than nine continuous miles of protected bicycle lanes from Burbank to Sylmar.
With the first two phases of the path complete, running from Sylmar through the city of San Fernando to Hansen Hills and Arleta on one end, and from Burbank to Sun Valley on the other, the Sun Valley segment from Cohasset Street to Branford Street is all that remains.
The city's Department of Transportation expects to complete construction in August.