Millions Spent, Miles in Ruins: The Costly Collapse of L.A.’s Beach Bike Trail

Nothing good comes from bike lanes or trails.

“Los Angeles spending is once again the topic of conversation after a $6 million bicycle bridge on one of the city’s busiest bike trails collapsed twice within a year. The failure has sparked renewed scrutiny over infrastructure investments and budget priorities.

In the 2022-23 fiscal year, financing sources were less than $500,000 for the County Public Works bikeway fund. The next year, $2.2 million. This year, $2.6 million. This additional financing brings the County bikeway fund to just about $3.4 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Combining County and City funds, nearly $5 million is allocated for bike path repairs and maintenance this fiscal year. Yet, midway through the second quarter, many beach paths are either buried under sand or actively collapsing, while others remain poorly maintained, structurally unsound, and increasingly hazardous for cyclists and pedestrians.”

Yup, $5 million wasted.  In fact, the bike lanes have been danger points for cars, pedestrians.  Does Musk have time to come to Los Angeles and end the waste and corruption?  Maybe the Feds need to stop giving money for bike lanes to end future problems like this?

Millions Spent, Miles in Ruins: The Costly Collapse of L.A.’s Beach Bike Trail

Rachael Gaudiosi, Westside Current, 2/26/25    https://www.westsidecurrent.com/news/millions-spent-miles-in-ruins-the-costly-collapse-of-l-a-s-beach-bike-trail/article_52dd483e-f3be-11ef-b031-9b5690d9f377.html?utm_source=westsidecurrent.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter%2Foptimize%2Fdaily-headlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1740583826&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles spending is once again the topic of conversation after a $6 million bicycle bridge on one of the city’s busiest bike trails collapsed twice within a year. The failure has sparked renewed scrutiny over infrastructure investments and budget priorities.

In the 2022-23 fiscal year, financing sources were less than $500,000 for the County Public Works bikeway fund. The next year, $2.2 million. This year, $2.6 million. This additional financing brings the County bikeway fund to just about $3.4 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Combining County and City funds, nearly $5 million is allocated for bike path repairs and maintenance this fiscal year. Yet, midway through the second quarter, many beach paths are either buried under sand or actively collapsing, while others remain poorly maintained, structurally unsound, and increasingly hazardous for cyclists and pedestrians.

“I used to ride [the beach bike trail] 10 miles in either direction, twice a week. I quit,” said David Blakely of Playa Del Rey, “either direction used to be okay until the rains two years ago.”

Tax Dollars Washed Away

A $6 million project designed to improve beach access and safety crumbled less than two years after completion.

The project, meant to separate cyclists and pedestrians along a 0.6-mile stretch between Santa Monica and Will Rogers State Beach, was completed in July 2023 after 18 months of construction. It included a 14-foot-wide bike lane, the conversion of the existing path for pedestrians, and a three-foot buffer for safety.

But heavy rain in February of 2024 caused half of the newly built Will Rogers bike path bridge to collapse. A year later, in February 2025, another storm took down the remaining half.

Now, all that remains of the bridge is debris and orange tape, leaving taxpayers questioning how a multimillion-dollar investment failed so quickly.

On social media, a video posted of the collapsed bridge gained over 300,000 views and 200 comments of people outraged at the poor planning that led to the path caving in. 

Repairs for last year’s rain-damaged bridge are estimated to cost between $1.9 million and $3.4 million, according to a December 2024 City Council agenda. Since the February 2024 storm was declared a major disaster by former President Biden, the County said it planned to seek federal reimbursement for part of the repair costs.

The Will Rogers bridge isn’t the only one in need of repair. Along the 22-mile trail, cyclists and pedestrians must detour off the beach and through Marina del Rey, only to encounter the broken and barricaded Ballona Creek Bridge before rejoining the path along the sand.

“They simply put barricades on it and forgot,” said Adriana Cascarano about the broken Ballona Creek bridge in Playa Del Rey. “It’s safer to cut through parking lots than take the dangerous path.”

These barricades also seem to cause a new hazard themselves. Fences on both sides of the bridge force riders from each direction into one lane while turning a blind corner. 

There’s other safety concerns. The Venice Beach Boardwalk and Santa Monica Pier are two of the busiest tourist locations in Los Angeles. Each year, millions of visitors flock to these westside attractions for vacation. 

In most areas of the County, the beach bike trail creates a barrier between a fun beach day and city stroll, a barrier that tourists have to cross to get onto the sand. This isn’t much of an issue in areas with low foot traffic, but in busy areas like Venice and Santa Monica, pedestrian collisions are not uncommon. 

The influx of motorized options like e-bikes and scooters has only intensified the risks, creating a chaotic mix of pedestrians, cyclists, and electric vehicles vying for space.

“The trail is only safe to use early in the morning before the walkers, joggers, and motorized scooters take over,” said Joel Markman, a resident and biker in Venice. 

Wait, is this your problem or mine? 

The beach bike trail spans the entire coast of the Pacific from Malibu to Torrance, passing through different jurisdictions of County, City, and even State. This leads to the big question, who is in charge? Apparently, we aren’t the only ones asking this question. 

The beach bike path goes by at least six names in the county, depending on what city you’re in. If you’re in the Malibu to Santa Monica area, you’d probably recognize this path as the Marvin Braude Bike Trail. But, from Venice to Redondo Beach, the path is connected to and more commonly referred to as The Strand. 

The trail also is referred to as the South Bay Bicycle Trail, the Pacific Coast Bike Trail, and the Coastal Bike Trail. Part of the Pacific Coast and Ballona Creek Bike Trail also intersect and join with what we’ve ultimately referred to as the “beach bike path.”

The California Coastal Commission handles planning for the California Coastal Trail, which combines with the LA beach bike trail. As of Sept. 2024, the Commission had almost 10 different planned improvements to the LA trail, including continuation of a water taxi across Marina Del Rey. 

When we asked the County for clarification on who maintains the beach bike path, the answer wasn’t simple or precise. The County told us they maintain segments of the bike path through portions of the City including El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, while other segments are maintained by the City, Hermosa and Redondo Beach. There was no mention of the State. 

The LA County website  specifies that it does not control areas of the path that stretch across Washington Boulevard and Admiralty Way in Venice and Marina Del Rey, or 1st Avenue in Hermosa and Redondo Beach. These areas exclude about half of the path, but do not exclude the areas in Playa Del Rey – areas where the path is reported to lack maintenance more than any other. 

“I think it’s valuable for the community, but you certainly can’t bike it fully the way it is now,” said David Blakely, resident and biker. “Either direction from Playa Del Rey you have to be careful.”

The LA County website also states it does not maintain areas of the path in Santa Monica Beach. But, past Santa Monica bike plans state the County “assumes primary responsibility for maintenance.” 

When we asked County Public Works to clarify, they told us the city of Santa Monica is responsible for sweeping the path and updating markings, but the County is responsible for pavement. Santa Monica Public Works did not get back to us. 

In the case of the collapsed bridge at Will Rogers, the County told us they will be handling repairs. They did not specify when.