Calabasas : Consultant Is Hired to Design Bike Trail

The Calabasas City Council has hired a consultant to design a regional bicycle trail stretching from the city of Los Angeles to the Ventura County line.

DKS Associates will be paid $305,000 to provide plans, specifications and estimates for construction of the trail, which would run roughly parallel to the Ventura Freeway, city officials said. The contract will include creation of a bicycle master plan for Calabasas.

The trail, which would connect existing bicycle lanes, would run from the Valley Circle Boulevard interchange in Los Angeles to the Ventura County line, officials said. From Westlake Village, it would run east along Lakeview Canyon, Agoura, Las Virgenes, Mureau and Calabasas roads, said Robert Yalda, Calabasas traffic and transportation manager.

The $305,000 is part of a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Yalda said. In addition, Calabasas will contribute $54,000, which will be used to hire a planner to oversee the project, he said. The city of Los Angeles, he said, has pledged $10,800, while Los Angeles County has pledged $20,000.

The entire project, including construction, is expected to cost $2 million, officials said. It would include the purchase of right of way along the route and widening roadways to accommodate the trail, officials said.

Calabasas officials had asked the cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village to contribute funds, but they declined, saying they could not afford it, according to Yalda. The bicycle trail is expected to be completed in about three years, officials said.