First published in the Nov. 5 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
By Andres de Ocampo
Glendale News-Press
The Verdugo Wash will receive $6 million in state funds as a part of a revitalization project that will increase the community’s utility of the 9.4-mile-long concrete flood channel by adding mixed-use spaces and a biking trail.
Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, District 43, presented the state-allocated funds to the city of Glendale during an official announcement attended by Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian, city councilmembers and other Glendale elected officials.
The project to reimagine the uses for the Verdugo Wash began in 2021 and started with the idea of integrating a multi-use aspect for the community by creating a bike lane that would stretch along the entirety of the 9-mile concrete channel.
Since then, the project has undergone a “visioning process” by the city that extends past a bike lane, even going as far as to potentially implement playground spaces and other socially engaging environments along the 9-mile route, according to the city’s Verdugo Wash website.
“We can reclaim the Verdugo Wash and areas on the side of the wash is a huge opportunity to create a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian path that residents can use for recreation and active transportation,” Friedman said.
Friedman explained that bringing $6 million for the Verdugo Wash is meant to act as a jumpstart for more planning and infrastructure costs that will go into the development of the community project.
“Giving people the option to get around through not only public transportation but active transportation is important to public health and equity. This project is also important for congestion relief within Glendale and for our desire to reduce carbon emissions,” she said.
Friedman also secured $20 million to complete the final phase of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project in 2017 which linked the existing Riverwalk and Glendale bikeway system to the Los Angeles bike trail and Griffith Park by installing a bicycle and pedestrian bridge.
“Glendale is a great place to live and play but it hasn’t been that great of a place when it comes to transportation. Everyone has the same concerns about how difficult it is to get around, whether by foot, bicycle or car, and no one is more at risk for mobility than pedestrians and cyclists,” Kassakhian said about the project.
“Making the Verdugo Wash project and its evolution of a potential bicycle pathway into an active transportation spine will also promote sustainability and open space,” he explained about the run-off effects of the project.
“We should be able to cycle from Glendale all the way to Griffith Park and into the San Fernando Valley without ever encountering a conflict with a car. That’s the goal. That’s the dream,” Friedman said.
