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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Status Update on Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project
1.Motion to note and file this report on Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project status.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for November 14, 2023 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project is ready to proceed to the 60 percent completed plans, specifications, and estimate phase. The intent of this item is to provide the City Council with an update on the project progress to date. 2{{section.number}}{{item.number}}
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RECOMMENDATION
Approve a motion to note and file this report on the Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project.
ANALYSIS
The Glendale Narrows Riverwalk (Riverwalk) site is located on the north bank of the Los Angeles River opposite from Griffith Park. This unique community resource increases access to the Los Angeles River and Griffith Park, improves connections, and increases the safety of paths used for bicycling and walking. Riverwalk also provides a gateway to the Grand Central Creative Campus, River Glen Opportunity Area, and the San Fernando Creative Corridor.
The Riverwalk Project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 of the Riverwalk Project included a half mile of recreational trail for bicyclists and pedestrians, an equestrian facility, interpretive signage, extensive landscaping with native plants, and a major improvement of the character of the riverfront area. The construction of Phase 1 was completed in December 2012.
Phase 2 of the Riverwalk Project included one small park, construction of the remainder of the recreational trail, and a bridge crossing over a drainage culvert. Construction work was funded by a Proposition 84 Grant, Measure R funds, Development Impact (DIF) funds, and Gas Tax monies. The construction of Phase 2 was completed in October 2018.
Phase 3, originally called the Glendale Narrows Bridge, now known as the Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project (Project), includes the planning, development, design, and construction of a 320-foot curvilinear concrete or concrete and steel bridge with concrete substructure planking and two piers in the river, safety railings, trash cans, pet waste stations, interpretive signs, pedestrian safety lighting, and access gates.
After the completion of the construction of Phase 3, this project will provide approximately one mile of recreational trail for bicyclists and pedestrians, with associated parks, rest areas, river overlooks, an equestrian facility, interpretive signage, a public art project, and potentially two bridges connecting Riverwalk to Griffith Park and/or North Atwater, thus significantly improving the present character of the river frontage in this area. The project will extend from the city limits near the intersection of Garden Street and Paula Avenue to the confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Verdugo Wash, adjacent to the 134 Freeway (the entire length of Glendale’s Los Angeles River frontage).
In 2010, the City of Glendale engaged outside consultant firms to prepare the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Master Plan to improve the character of the river along the City of Glendale frontage area, the Master Plan was finalized in 2011.
On March 3, 2015, City Council passed a Motion approving the concept for the preliminary Los Angeles River bridge design (Phase 3). Council also directed staff to 3{{section.number}}{{item.number}}
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submit grant applications to fund the continuation of design, construction documents, and construction of the bridge.
On September 25, 2015, as part of the 2015 Call for Projects, the Metro Board of Directors authorized a grant to the City of Glendale for the design and construction of the Project in the amount of $3,070,080. As part of this obligation, the city will need to contribute $767,520 of local match funds. Metro has issued a Funding Agreement authorizing the city to proceed with the design and construction of the project.
On June 5, 2017, California voters approved Proposition 68, which authorized $4 billion in general obligation bonds for state and local parks, environmental protection projects, water infrastructure projects and flood protection projects. From this, $20 million was earmarked for Glendale’s River Bridge project (Phase 3). The funds are administered by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and a portion will be used as local match funds for the Metro 2015 Call for Projects grant.
On December 14, 2021, the City Council awarded a Professional Services Agreement with Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. (BCA) to provide Professional Engineering, Environmental Document and Construction Management Services for the Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge Project in the amount of $3,789,489, plus a 10 percent contingency of $378,949. The contract was based on the Garden River Bridge concept selected in 2014.
The overall project budget is estimated as follows:
Description
Total
Project
Costs
Proposition
68 Funds
2015 Call
for
Projects
Funds
Assembly
Bill 170
Funds
Measure
R Sub-
Regional
Funds
Environmental
Document &
Design Plans,
Specifications
and Estimates $4,535,000 $1,535,000 $3,000,000 $0 $0
Construction
Management $3,000,000 $0 $0 $0 $3,000,000
Construction $25,260,080 $16,199,000 $61,080 $9,000,000 $0 Construction
Contingency $2,624,000 $1,615,000 $9,000 $1,000,000 $0
GRAND TOTAL $35,419,080 $19,349,000 $3,070,080 $10,000,000 $3,000,000 The implementation schedule for this project moving forward is estimated to be as follows:
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ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION TIMELINE
Environmental Document & Design Plans, Specifications and Estimates:
Execute Professional Services Agreement with
BCA & Issue Notice to Proceed
November 2021 – December
2021
Environmental Consultant Preliminary Report April 2022 – December 2022 Submit Adequate Site Control and Land Tenure
documents to State September 2022 – May 2024
Submit Operation and Maintenance Agreement
between City of Glendale and City of Los Angeles November 2022 – April 2024 Environmental Clearance May 2023 – November 2024
Submit final CEQA documents to State November 2024
Submit Project Permit/Approval Status document
to State December 2024 – May 2025
Construction:
Advertise Bids/Bid Opening, Award Contract and
Certify August 2025 – February 2026
Mobilization and construction March 2026 – July 2028
Submit evidence of signage August 2028
Record deed restriction; submit project closeout
package with final payment request to State February 2029 Staff is providing a status update on the progress of the design alternative which was chosen by the community and further refined in the schematic design process.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
In 2010, the City engaged consulting firms to prepare the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Master Plan to improve the character of the river along the City of Glendale frontage.
Outreach occurred in various forms throughout the master planning process. This included a dedicated website for the project and two well-publicized community meetings. In addition, numerous stakeholder meetings were held with agencies and organizations with a specific interest in the bridge project, such as jurisdictional or user concerns. These agencies and organizations included the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, National Park Service, Caltrans District 7, LA County Public Works Department, various City of Los Angeles Departments, Walt Disney Company, Dreamworks Animation, Friends of the LA River, North East Trees, Sierra Club Conservation Committee, LA County Bicycle Coalition, LA River Revitalization Corporation, the late Senator’s Feinstein, former Senator Boxer, and Liu’s staff, Representative Schiff’s staff, Assembly Member Gatto’s staff, and Glendale and LA City Councilmembers and their staff.
From the numerous outreach and stakeholder meetings and in-depth design and technical analyses, the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Phase II and Phase III Master Plan was finalized in 2011.
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On March 18, 2014, Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a consultant agreement with Atkins for the design of the completion of the Riverwalk and the planning of the potential future bridges over the Los Angeles River and the Verdugo Wash. Katherine Padilla & Associates (KPA) was selected as the community outreach consultant for the future bridge over the Los Angeles River.
Prior to hosting community meetings, KPA implemented various public engagement strategies, including stakeholder education and involvement targeting elected officials, the business community, and members of neighborhood associations, recreational, environmental, community-based organizations, as well as other interested persons.
KPA conducted the following outreach:
•Announcements at Glendale City Council and at board meetings of community organizations in Glendale and the neighborhoods of Griffith Park/Los Feliz and Atwater Village. Flyers were also distributed;
•Flyers distributed at public counters in adjacent Los Angeles neighborhoods and throughout the City of Glendale;
•E-mails notifying community members of the meetings;
•Phone calls to key stakeholders representing community organizations requesting that flyers and meeting notices be forwarded to organizations’ members and placed on websites for wider promotion; and •Press release for City of Glendale to disseminate to media outlets.
On September 11, 2014, Atkins, the Public Works Department (PWD), and the Community Services and Parks Department (CSP) hosted the first of three community workshops. The first workshop was to solicit the public’s input on bridge locations to augment the prior 2011 Riverwalk Master Plan study, and insights on the bridge design, style, and function. Over 70 participants attended the workshop.
On October 29, 2014, the second meeting, with over 50 participants, was held to confirm the Flower Plaza as the preferred location of the Los Angeles River Bridge and to present site specific conceptual bridge designs for public input. Prior to the meeting, over 30 participants attended a project walk. At the end of the meeting, participants chose their preferred options.
Between the second and third workshops, staff worked with the consultant to further develop the two most preferred options to include the amenities most desired by the public. The Garden Bridge, the most preferred option, was then further developed for the final workshop.
On December 11, 2014, the third and final workshop was held, with over 40 participants, on selecting the final design for the Garden Bridge. It should be noted that comments from previous meetings, including email and telephone correspondences, were incorporated into each successive meeting. The public was encouraged to attend all meetings to provide additional input before the study was finalized and presented to 6{{section.number}}{{item.number}}
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City Council. It was made clear to the public that the purpose of the bridge workshops was to solicit the amenities they would value on a bridge and that the preferred bridge option selected would be used to obtain grant funding.
As of result of the extensive stakeholder outreach, the Garden River Bridge was selected as the preferred alternative through the community workshops. The Garden River Bridge is a two-span curvilinear structure with two canopied seating areas that will offer views of the river and be a continuation of the parks between the cities of Glendale and Los Angeles, with the canopies providing shading and space to enjoy the river environment. Lighting will also be incorporated to enhance the user experience and make the structure a landmark viewed from the parks or the adjacent freeways.
The Glendale-Los Angeles Garden River Bridge will be an extension of the Riverwalk parks and both cities’ urban communities and provide a space for users on the bridge to enjoy the river.
The current professional engineering services scope with BCA consists of multiple and equally critical phases, and the BCA team will be responsible for stakeholder outreach and community engagement as the project progresses. A variety of communication tools will be employed to ensure appropriate reach as part of the public notification for the community meetings.
During the final design development phase, the BCA team will hold further public outreach meetings to share the environmental document findings through an official public comment period and outline the design development process to arrive at final plans, drawings, and specifications. The BCA team will also highlight design and permitting progress prior to bid and advertisement, to provide an update to the public on what to expect during construction, the construction schedule, detour plans, ways to obtain information, and safety reminders.
Last, but not least, a dedicated project website has been developed and hosted by BCA that serves as the public portal for all project information.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The current draft environmental document prepared by BCA is under review by the City Attorney’s office and upon review and approval of the draft document, the draft environmental report will be released for public review and comment. This will then be followed by the appropriate application procedures to ensure environmental compliance with CEQA and NEPA for design and construction of the project.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements. 7{{section.number}}{{item.number}}
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ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
N/A.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Yazdan T. Emrani, P.E., Director of Public Works
Prepared by:
Sarkis Oganesyan, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works/City Engineer Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
None