Photos: Restoring the Los Angeles River

The Los Angeles River flows beneath the Golden State Freeway near the interchange with the 134 Freeway in Glendale.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Youngsters explore the Los Angeles River beneath the Pasadena Freeway near downtown Los Angeles.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

An old sneaker rests in the bed of the Los Angles River near downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The 6th Street Bridge crosses the Los Angeles River near downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The L.A. River near Griffith Park.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles River flows between high concrete banks north of downtown Los Angeles. Plans to revitalize the long-neglected river corridor include $6 billion in real estate investment.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Metro Gold Line runs along the edge of the Los Angeles State Historic Park, also known as “The Cornfield,” north of downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A pair of Metro Gold Line trains cross a bridge over the Los Angeles River north of downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A grocery cart lies in the stream of the Arroyo Seco at its confluence with the Los Angeles River north of downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A homeless man makes his way to the Los Angeles River through a tunnel under the 6th Street Bridge in downtown L.A. The decaying span is slated for demolition and replacement.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A woman walks along the Los Angeles River near North Atwater Park in Atwater Village north of downtown Los Angeles. The park is part of Griffith Park.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A woman walks dogs in North Atwater Park in Atwater Village. The park’s facilities include a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a children’s play area, volleyball courts and a hiking trail near the L.A. River.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A heron spreads its wings over the Los Angeles River in the Glendale Narrows area adjacent to Griffith Park. The narrows is one of the best bird-watching locations in Southern California.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A park ranger talks to visitors at Marsh Park at the end of Mellon Street in the Elysian Valley north of downtown L.A. The three-acre park is part of the L.A. River Greenway and has a “soft” bottom that allows plants and animals to thrive in an otherwise urban environment.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Taylor Yard is a former rail yard with more than two miles of Los Angeles River frontage opposite Elysian Park. It is the largest undeveloped parcel on the river.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles River flows behind the Twin Towers jail, center, as seen from the MTA Building downtown.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A line of ducks swim past abandoned shopping carts littering the Los Angeles River bed in Long Beach.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Cyclists pedal down the bike trail along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A woman walks beneath a 710 Freeway overpass near the Los Angeles River in downtown Long Beach.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Waterfowl fly over the shimmering waters of the Los Angeles River in Long Beach.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A cyclist crosses the Anaheim Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River in Long Beach.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)