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Expo Bike Path
E Line train passes Expo Bike Path in Culver City; Hayden Tract architectural landmark visible in distance, native oak tree overhangs the path
Path between La Cienega/​Jefferson and Culver City stations
Length12[note 1] mi (19 km)
LocationLos Angeles County, California, United States
Established2012
Completed2016
TrailheadsE Line La Cienega/​Jefferson
E Line 17th Street/SMC
UseActive transportation, road biking, walking, dogs on leash
DifficultyEasy
Right of wayE Line
Maintained byMetro

The Expo Bike Path is a 12-mile-long (19 km)[note 1] rail with trail bicycle path and pedestrian route in Los Angeles County, California that travels roughly parallel to the Los Angeles Metro Rail's E Line between La Cienega/​Jefferson and 17th Street/SMC stations.[1][2] The Expo Bike Path is one of two major bicycle routes in Los Angeles that share dedicated rights-of-way with public transport, the other being the G Line Bikeway in the San Fernando Valley.[3]

The Santa Monica Air Line used the right-of-way from 1909 to 1953.[2] The track was last used for freight in 1988; the county transportation agency bought the route from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1991.[4]

Rails-to-trails advocacy groups quickly began agitating for a bike route along the Exposition corridor, with one 1992 Los Angeles Times article prophetically headlined: “A Better Path: There Are 12.2 Miles of Abandoned Rail Beds That Could Be Turned Into a Trail for Bikers, Joggers and Walkers From USC to Santa Monica, but There Is Resistance.”[4]

Twenty years later, in 2012, the first section of the Expo Bike Path opened to the public.[5]

The Expo Bike Path connects to the Ballona Creek Bike Path (and Park to Playa Trail) at National Boulevard in Culver City. The connection between the two paths is at the Bike Path Bridge over Ballona Creek; the bridge originally carried the southbound lanes of National until the construction of the E Line overpass and a new four-lane National Boulevard bridge.[6] Between the new and old road bridges, a historic Pacific Electric rail bridge remains intact but fenced off and unused.

Route

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Path between Culver City and Palms stations

Eastern segment (aka Phase I)

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Source:[5]

  • Trailhead: E Line La Cienega/​Jefferson[3]
  • Trailhead: E Line Culver City, specifically Platform Park at Washington and National under the track[3]
  • Distance: 5.6 miles (9.0 km)[5][7]
  • Route: This section is largely a Class III bike route (bicycles share a main road with a car traffic), but there is short separated bike path segment between La Cienega/Jefferson station and the western terminus. There is a dogleg turn on Harcourt Avenue between the 3.4-mile-long (5.5 km) stretch on Jefferson Boulevard. and the 1.2-mile-long (1.9 km) section on La Cienega Boulevard.[5] There is an eastbound crossing of the train tracks at South Gramercy Place.[3] Just before the western end of the Phase I/eastern segment of the Expo Bike Path, there is access to the Ballona Creek Bike Path which continues six miles west to the ocean, connecting to the Marvin Braude Bike Trail.[5]

Central segment

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  • Trailhead: E Line Culver City[3][8]
  • Trailhead: E Line Palms, Exposition Boulevard and Palms Boulevard northeast corner[3][8]
  • Distance: 0.8 miles (1.3 km)[9]
  • Notes: Separated from traffic except at crossings[9]

Western segment (aka Phase II)

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Source:[10]

Gaps

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There are two intervals lacking either clear on-street navigation or a separated route.

Culver Junction gap

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Source:[8]

  • Trailhead: National Boulevard and Wesley Avenue[8]
  • Trailhead: Behind Venice Crossroads shopping center[9][8]
  • Distance: 0.5 miles (0.80 km)[8]

Northvale gap

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Sources:[12][2]

Access

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Dedicated parking lots for “park and ride” commuters are available at 17th Street/SMC, Expo/Bundy, Expo/Sepulveda, Culver City, and La Cienega/​Jefferson stations.[15]

Points of interest

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The origin point of the western segment includes the Westwood Neighborhood Greenway, a linear park completed 2020, that “daylights” the Brown Canyon Creek that had been funneled underground since 1958.[16] The Greenway was built on a railroad right-of-way that was not otherwise occupied by the train tracks or bike route.[17]

There is a bicycle repair shop and a secured bike garage located within the Culver City station at about the halfway point along the route.[18]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b There is a distance of 2.1 miles (3.4 km) worth of gaps. Without gaps, the mileage would be 9.9 miles (15.9 km).

References

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  1. ^ Chandler, Jenna (June 7, 2016). "Ride your bike to Santa Monica on a new paved bike path". Curbed LA. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Hawthorne, Christopher (May 21, 2017). "Toward wholeness; The Expo Line uses space once occupied by streetcars. Its run from downtown to the ocean helps put L.A. back on track". Los Angeles Times. pp. E1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Los Angeles Metro Bikeways Map". metro.net. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Cart, Julie (October 7, 1992). "A Better Path There Are 12.2 Miles of Abandoned Rail Beds That Could Be Turned Into a Trail for Bikers, Joggers and Walkers From USC to Santa Monica, but There Is Resistance". Los Angeles Times. pp. A1.
  5. ^ a b c d e "A Ride on the Mostly Repaved Expo Bike Lanes". LADOT Bike Blog. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Ballona Creek construction". www.friends4expo.org. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  7. ^ Richardson, Hayley (April 27, 2012). "Nearly Six Miles of Bike Lanes Add Connectivity to New Expo Line". The Source. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Eyes on the Street: Culver City Expo Bike Path Gap". Streetsblog Los Angeles. June 14, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Metro Bike Map 2019 1.0.3". media.metro.net. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Exposition Bike Path (Phase 2)". Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Livable Streets. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Newton, Damien (June 7, 2016). "Review: The Expo Phase II Bike Path Is Going to Be Great…". Streetsblog Los Angeles. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "LA Paves the Way to Closing Gap in 14-Mile Bicycle Network From Santa Monica to Exposition Park". KNBC-TV Los Angeles. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Exposition Bike Path (Northvale Segment)". Los Angeles Department of Transportation Livable Streets. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c "Koretz, LADOT Present Plans To Close Expo Bike Path Northvale Gap". Streetsblog Los Angeles. May 21, 2021. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  15. ^ "E Line Expo - Metro Parking Lots by Line". LA Metro. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  16. ^ "Westwood Neighborhood Greenway". City of Los Angeles Dept. of Environment and Sanitation. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  17. ^ jonlaweiss. "History". Westwood Greenway. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Sotero, Dave (March 1, 2019). "Culver City Bike Hub is now officially open!". The Source. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
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