North Hollywood–Pasadena BRT reaches 60% design; debate in Glendale centers on Glen Oaks bike lanes, business outreach and 2027 opening

Metro officials told the Glendale City Council on May 6 that the long‑planned North Hollywood–Pasadena bus rapid transit (BRT) project has reached major design milestones and is moving toward construction, but that decisions about bike lanes, parking and community outreach remain unsettled.

Tito Corona, Metro senior manager of community relations for the project, said Metro and its consultants are advancing the design with the intent to begin construction ahead of the 2028 Olympics and to open the line by the end of 2027. The 19‑mile corridor, funded with Measure M and SB 1 money, would run from North Hollywood through Burbank, Glendale and into Old Town Pasadena, with a planned eastern terminus at Pasadena City College.

Metro stressed system benefits and near‑term milestones. Matt Evans, Metro construction relations manager for the corridor, said the agency expects the line to attract about 30,000 daily riders and deliver peak‑period travel‑time savings of up to 44% compared with existing transit. Anthony DiFrenza, Metro project manager, said Metro has onboarded a construction manager/general contractor for preconstruction work, will begin potholing for subsurface utilities in June, and plans to submit 60% design packages to the cities later this month.

Why it matters: The alignment runs through central Glendale on Glen Oaks Boulevard and Central Avenue, and the design choices will affect curbside parking, street width, local…