O'Farrell Calls for Hyperion Bridge Citizens Advisory Group

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell this week penned support for a
Glendale Hyperion Bridge citizens advisory committee as well as additional study for the $50 million retrofit of the bridge.

In his letter, addressed to the California Department of Transportation Division of Environmental Planning's Tami Podesta, O'Farrell expressed a willingness to explore design options for the bridge that serves vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles equally. To achieve that, O'Farrell proposed options such as dedicated bicycle lanes, modifying traffic lane widths, adding a signalized crosswalk for the entire width of the bridge and the removal of a center barrier currently in the plans. 

In addition to exploring design options, O'Farrell also said he will form a citizens advisory group to solicit community feedback during the bridge project. 

"I believe it is important to fully explore these options to ensure that the bridge is safe, respects the surrounding neighborhoods and serves vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles," O'Farrell said. "I believe that through a coordinated effort, the Glendale Boulevard-Hyperion Avenue Complex of Bridges Improvement Project can be completed in a manner that is timely and responsive to community stakeholder input." 

Work on the bridges, which connect the communities of Silver Lake, Atwater Village and Los Feliz, is expected to begin in 2016. Once started, work is expected to take three years to complete.