SAN FERNANDO : MTA to Finance Bike Path, Walkway

The Metropolitan Transit Authority will foot the bill for a $990,900 bike path and pedestrian walkway to be built along the train tracks from the Metrolink station on the west side of San Fernando to Recreation Park on the east side of town.

The City Council on Monday approved hiring Boyle Engineering Co. of Los Angeles to design and oversee construction of the mile-long path, which includes major landscaping improvements, construction of an iron fence between trains and the path, and four planned pedestrian crossings. The engineering firm was hired at a cost of $142,000.

“This project includes substantial landscape improvements that will beautify and increase the safety of the Metrolink right of way,” said Mike Drake, San Fernando’s public works director.

The lighted path will be located about 20 feet from the train tracks, separated from the tracks by an iron fence. The path itself will be about 16 feet wide, providing about eight feet of pathway in each direction for bicyclists. A narrow section of the path will be located on one side for use by pedestrians.

Drake added that the pathway will be accessible to police patrol cars, and that engineers are working with the city to devise a way to prohibit other kinds of vehicles from entering. After the bikeway is built, the city will be responsible for its maintenance.

The proposed design includes four pedestrian crossings that will be controlled by electronic signals to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross or exit the tracks.

Several residents expressed concerns about pedestrian fatalities along the Metrolink train tracks in the San Fernando area. The most recent fatality on the tracks, which stretch for approximately one mile parallel to Truman Street, occurred Sept. 26 when a man intentionally dove into the path of a commuter train at the Brand Boulevard crossing.

But officials emphasized that the bikeway is currently in the planning stages and that additional studies, including environmental reviews, are required before construction can start. If it is approved in its final form, construction could begin in June, with a completion date of November, officials said.

“The bikeway will essentially be like a new road,” said city engineer Jerry Wedding. “We’ll have to ensure that it remains safe.”

Drake said the planned bikeway was proposed as a pilot project and, if it is successful, it may be extended through other towns along the Metrolink railway.