Los Angeles is one more step closer to a continuous 15 mile network of bike paths from Santa Monica Pier to USC and Explosion Park.
Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to use a significant area to take portions of eight lots between Motor Avenue and Overland Avenue to build a 0.28 mile bike path to bridge a gap of one Mile on the Expo Line to close bike path.
The move closes a void in the 14-mile east-west cycle path network.
Carlos Rios, chief transportation engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said the city has already secured five of the 13 properties needed to fill the void, and the eight chosen on Tuesday were the last ones needed. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the five properties that have already been secured were acquired by the city through negotiation agreements and not through an eminent domain.
“Once we implement this less than a mile segment of the bicycle facility, we will have a continuous 14 mile facility that allows cyclists to essentially commute from the Santa Monica Pier to the USC / Exposition Park area. “Rios told the councilors.
Renowned domain attorney Gary Kovacic, who represents five of the property owners, unsuccessfully applied for a continuation prior to the vote. He added that his customers want the bike path to be narrower and farther from their homes. They also want the city to build a sound barrier, he said.
The condemned areas of seven of the properties are “easements with limited use,” where owners have not been allowed to erect permanent buildings due to a utility company’s right to access and control that part of the land.
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