Los Angeles River Path

Frequently Asked Questions

Project Overview

Who is leading the project? 
Metro is leading the development of the LA River Path Project. Throughout the process, Metro has engaged communities along the LA River, including Elysian Valley, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, Chinatown, the Arts District, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Maywood, and Vernon. Additionally, Metro is coordinating with the multiple local, state, and federal government entities whose jurisdiction includes the LA River. 

Why is the project needed? 
There is currently an eight-mile gap in the LA River active transportation network between Elysian Valley and the City of Vernon. For bike riders, this poses a safety risk as they must ride on surface streets and busy intersections to reconnect to the path. The LA River Path will create a safe and efficient active transportation travel option between the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, and the communities in between.  

The project aims to accomplish the following goals: 

• Improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists from existing conditions. 
• Increase access from local neighborhoods to employment centers, regional destinations, resources and amenities, including healthcare services. 
• Reduce vehicle miles traveled by allowing people to walk and bicycle on a dedicated, vehicle-separated path through and within LA County, thereby reducing trip lengths and expanding travel choices. 
• Improve access to opportunity for historically underinvested communities, especially in low-income and minority communities. 
• Create a path that feels safe, comfortable and is a world-class transportation corridor open to people of all ages and abilities. 
• Create a path that meets the needs of both recreational and everyday users and commuters. 

What is the current project status? 
The LA River Path Project is currently in the environmental review process. Metro released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on December 18, 2025. In January of 2026, Metro will host public hearings to present the Draft EIR and solicit public comments. Additionally, upon release of the Draft EIR, there is a 47-day review period for the public to provide comments on the LA River Path. The Final EIR is expected to be released in 2026-2027. 

Project Design

What are the proposed alternatives for this project? 
There are seven alternatives under consideration in the Draft EIR for the LA River Path Project shown and described below: 

Path Alternatives Overview 

What is an access point? What are the benefits of access points? 
Access points are areas where users can enter and exit the LA River Path. The access points connect path users to the neighborhoods along the LA River as well as connecting them to job centers, schools, transit, parks and local businesses. Access points along the project may also offer amenities such as seating, wayfinding, and landscaping. 

Will the LA River Path project provide opportunities for public art? 
Art can deepen the connection with a space, cultivate pride in the community, and improve the user experience along the LA River Path. The details of public art along the corridor will be determined later in the project design, in conjunction with the community and local artists. 

Will the path connect to the Arroyo Seco Bike Path? 
There will not be a direct connection, but that does not preclude future connections to the Arroyo Seco Bike Path. 

Design Changes and Project Scope

How has the project scope changed since Measure M? 
The 2016 Feasibility Study, based on less than 5% design, serves as the foundation for Measure M funding. Since then, advancements have been made in the project design, based on community/stakeholder input and advanced technical studies. These advancements include greater proportions of elevated or incised structures to navigate design constraints, a wider path to meet projected travel demand and allow emergency access, access points on both sides of the river, and the addition of bike and pedestrian bridges. 

Why is most of the project being proposed to be built on elevated structures or incised into the river channel wall? 
This corridor is highly constrained, with limited available right-of-way along the riverbanks. The project must navigate around active rail lines, utility towers, and 30 bridges, including rail, vehicle, and freeway structures. Ten of these bridges are registered as historic, and three more may qualify as historic. 

Why was the bottom-of-channel path type not included in the alternatives? 
The bottom-of-channel path type was considered and rejected because it does not meet the project objectives for Safety, Access, and Sustainable and Efficient Mobility. 

Areas of concern from the community and key stakeholders include: path user safety from flood events, length and frequency of path closures due to flood events, limitations on emergency vehicle access, length and slope of ramps to reach access points, infeasibility of implementing lighting and other amenities, and extensive time and permit requirements for construction and maintenance.  

Cost and Funding 

What is the anticipated project cost? 
Currently, the anticipated cost of the five alternatives that close the full 8-mile gap ranges from about $1.0 billion to $1.2 billion, while the shortened alternatives range from $595 million to $690 million (in 2025$).  

How will the project be funded? 
Measure M allocated $365 million in 2015$ for environmental clearance, design, and construction of the project. Approximately $433M (2025$) is available for project construction.   

What will Metro do to cover the funding gap between Measure M's allocation and the anticipated project cost? Metro will seek additional funding opportunities. Additionally, Metro is exploring potential cost mitigation strategies, including phasing the project delivery, value engineering, and seeking economies of scale and streamlined delivery strategies with partnering agencies. 

Why did the project cost estimates increase since Measure M? 
The current cost estimates reflect advancements in the project design since Measure M, based on stakeholder/ community input and advanced technical studies. In addition, increases in labor and material costs, cost escalation, and contingency, also contribute to the rise of the Project’s cost estimates. 

Ownership and Maintenance

Why will Metro not own, operate, or maintain the project after it is completed?  
Metro owns less than one percent of the total right-of-way required for this project.  

Who operates and maintains the existing paths along the LA River? 
The City of Los Angeles operates and maintains the path north of the project area toward the San Fernando Valley. The County of Los Angeles operates and maintains the path south of the project area toward Long Beach.  

Who would be the Operations & Maintenance entity? Metro is actively seeking agency partners to own, operate and maintain the project, when completed.  

Environmental Review

What is the environmental review process? 
Prior to construction and completion, a project undergoes studies to understand the benefits and the potential impacts it may have on the community. The environmental review process is a multi-step process that includes scoping, preparation of a study, review of the draft environmental document, selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative and adopting a final environmental document. To learn more, visit metro.net/about/environmental-review. 

How did planning for the project begin? 
In 2014, the Los Angeles City Council and Metro’s Board of Directors authorized two motions to pursue closing the gap between the two existing paths along the LA River (City of Los Angeles 2014, Metro 2014). A Feasibility Study was conducted initially, which served as the basis of inclusion of the project in Measure M, passed in 2016,  Subsequently, a Conceptual Design Report was developed, which incorporated significant public outreach findings and resulted in the identification of Project objectives and path alternatives. Metro filed a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Project’s Draft EIR on October 23, 2019, and accepted comments on the NOP for a 45-day period from October 23 through December 6, 2019.  

What are the next steps in the environmental review process? 
The Draft EIR will be open for public comment and review for 47 days from December 18, 2025 to February 2, 2026. The public can provide comments on the Draft EIR by mail, email, phone, or at public hearings.  

What is the purpose of the Draft EIR? 
The purpose of the Draft EIR is to inform public agency decisionmakers and the general public about potential significant environmental impacts of the Project, possible ways to minimize potential impacts, and reasonable alternatives to the Project. 

What does the Draft EIR include? 
This Draft EIR includes the following elements: 

• ES, Executive Summary 
• Chapter 1, Introduction 
• Chapter 2, Project Description 
• Chapter 3, Environmental Settings, Impacts, and Mitigation 
• Chapter 4, Other CEQA-Required Sections 
• Chapter 5, Evaluation of Alternatives 
• Chapter 6, Lead Agency and List of Preparers 
• Chapter 7, References 
• Appendix A, Public Participation and Outreach 
• Appendix B, Project Footprint Maps 
• Appendix C, Project Features 
• Appendices D-N, Impact Analysis Reports and Technical Data 

Copies of this EIR and appendices are posted on Metro’s website (https://www.metro.net/ projects/lariverpath/) and are available on file at Metro Headquarters (at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012) during normal business hours. Copies of this Draft EIR are also available at local public libraries. 

What types of environmental impacts are being evaluated in the Draft EIR? 
Within the Environmental Analysis (Chapter 3), the following topics for environmental study under CEQA are included: 

• Aesthetics and Visual Resources 
• Air Quality 
• Biological Resources 
• Cultural Resources 
• Energy 
• Geology, Soils, and Paleontological Resources 
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials 
• Hydrology and Water Quality 
• Land Use and Planning 
• Noise and Vibration 
• Population and Housing 
• Public Services/Safety and Security 
• Recreation 
• Transportation 
• Tribal Cultural Resources 
• Utilities and Service Systems 
• Wildfire 

What comes after the public comment period? 
At the conclusion of the Draft EIR, Metro will prepare a staff report for the Metro Board of Directors to consider selecting a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). 

Following the selection of an LPA, Metro will continue to advance the project design for the selected alignment and prepare a Final EIR for public review. 

The Final EIR will refine the project, respond to comments received during the Draft EIR public review period and include a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP) to address any project impacts identified in the environmental document. 

What is a Locally Preferred Alternative, and who will select it? 
A Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) is the alternative chosen by a local agency as best meeting community goals and project objectives, based on public input and technical analysis. In the case of the LA River Path, it could be one of the alternatives presented in the Draft EIR, or a combination thereof. The Metro Board of Directors will review the staff recommendation and adopt an LPA. 

How can the public provide comments on the Draft EIR?  
Metro invites comments via our online comment form, phone line, email, U.S. Mail, and during the public hearings in January 2026. 

• Online: https://us.planengage.com/lariverbikepath 
• Phone: 213-922-7001 
• Email: lariverpath@metro.net  
• Mail: c/o Mitali Gupta, Project Manager 

Are there other Metro projects nearby? 
Other nearby projects that Metro is working on include the Arts District/6th Street Station, Link Union Station, Southeast Gateway Line (previously West Santa Ana Branch Corridor), Rail to River and the I-710 Corridor Bike Path Project. 

Public Engagement and Participation

How can local communities and the general public participate in this process? 
Metro is leading a stakeholder engagement program to ensure that surrounding communities are kept informed of the status of the LA River Path Project. This includes holding public meetings and workshops, presentations with local stakeholder organizations and participation at local community events throughout the study area. 

Metro recognizes the need for inclusion and the variety of stakeholders along the LA River. We are committed to equity, transparency, engaging the public and providing the platform for stakeholders to learn about the LA River Path Project and provide input throughout the process. 

Metro hosted Community Update Meetings in Fall 2021, Fall 2022, and Fall 2025. We invite you to keep up to date on the project by visiting us online at https://www.metro.net/projects/lariverpath/. Materials and video from our past community meetings can be found here as well.  

As part of the release of the Draft EIR, Metro will host three public hearings and a virtual hearing on the following dates: 

How can I stay involved? 
Metro welcomes your input on the LA River Path Project. Please share your thoughts and comments with us. Metro does not share your contact information with third parties. 

Project Information Line: 213.922.7001 
Email: lariverpath@metro.net