ECHO PARK : Officials to Review Glendale Blvd. Ideas

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials on Monday night will make a final review of residents’ suggestions for revamping Glendale Boulevard before a traffic study is submitted to the MTA board.

The community meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, 1891 Effie St.

Los Angeles city officials and the MTA agreed to spend $300,000 for the study, which covers a 2 1/2-mile stretch of Glendale Boulevard from the end of the Glendale Freeway to Beverly Boulevard, said Steve Brye, project coordinator.

Known for oil and silent-film industries in the late 1890s and early 1900s, Glendale Boulevard has since turned into a thoroughfare for commuters traveling to and from Downtown.

“It’s great for commuters,” said Susan Borden, an Echo Park resident. “(But) it’s just a barrier for residents.”

The purpose of the study, officials say, is to find ways to slow traffic flow and make the street more appealing again to residents and Echo Park’s surrounding communities.

MTA officials have held community meetings with residents since November. Their recommendations include more traffic signals, car-pool lanes, a bike route for residents, trees and bus shelters.

Brye plans to turn in a final draft of the study June 9.

The MTA board is expected to review the proposed project in late June.