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La Verne weighs extending Arrow Highway protected bikeway to White Avenue, with $528,000 local share proposed
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Summary
Regional partners presented a proposal to extend a Class 4 two‑way cycle track along Arrow Highway into La Verne and to rehab pavement ahead of the LA28 Olympics; staff said La Verne’s proportional construction cost is about $528,000 for an ~850‑ft segment. Residents raised traffic, queuing and emergency response concerns; council directed staff to continue design coordination and return with alternatives addressing those issues.
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and City of Pomona representatives on Tuesday presented plans for a regional Arrow Highway Class 4 two‑way bikeway and concurrent full‑width pavement rehabilitation that would connect Metro A Line stations and the Fairplex. The project includes safety, ADA and lighting upgrades and would be funded primarily with regional and federal grants, with local matches from participating cities.
Roy Choi of the San Gabriel Valley COG told the La Verne City Council that the full project is mostly grant‑funded but that La Verne’s share to extend the bikeway to White Avenue — an 850‑foot segment inside city limits — is currently estimated at about $528,000. That amount would cover La Verne’s pavement section between Lordsburg Court and White Avenue and additional design efforts; design is at roughly 60% completion. Choi said timely delivery is needed to preserve eligibility for Metro active‑transportation funding that requires work ahead of the LA28 Summer Olympics.
Council members and dozens of residents at the meeting pressed staff and the COG for alternatives to reduce potential traffic impacts at the nearby 3‑to‑2 lane transition at White Avenue. Residents and several council members warned that evening rush‑hour queuing, event traffic for the Fairplex and existing signalization issues at the rail crossing could create safety and emergency‑response problems if the design is not adjusted. One resident asked where cyclists would be routed once the bikeway reached White Avenue; another asked for traffic data justifying the extension beyond the city boundary.
Public‑works staff and the COG said the current design aims to avoid losing vehicle travel lanes by using space from the raised median and narrowing the median where possible, while keeping standard 11‑foot travel lanes where feasible. The proposed protected cycle track would be two five‑foot travel lanes for bicycles with a painted buffer and vertical delineators. Staff noted some median plantings already funded by La Verne’s CNRA grant would be relocated or adjusted to accommodate the design, and that the design team will refine transition details at White Avenue to allow safe crossings and north/south connections to the station.
Council members asked the COG to explore alternatives that preserve necessary vehicle lane widths, mitigate queuing that could block emergency vehicles, and show transition details where the bikeway ends or crosses at White Avenue. Staff said they will return with design scenarios, traffic and signalization options (including a potential eastbound right‑turn lane/taper at White), and clarification on median impacts. The council did not vote on funding at the meeting; it gave direction to continue coordination with Pomona and the COG and to return with refined designs and cost‑allocation alternatives.
What happens next: the COG and Pomona will finalize design alternatives with La Verne staff addressing the community’s traffic and safety questions; the council will review those alternatives before any formal funding commitment. If approved, construction is targeted to begin as early as 2027 to meet grant conditions tied to the LA28 timeline.
