Eyes on the Street: Burbank Front Street Bikeway Under Construction

The city of Burbank is currently upgrading a mile of bike lanes on Front Street, improving bike access to the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station

By Joe Linton

1:30 PM PDT on June 13, 2024

Newly protected bikeway on Front Street in Burbank. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

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A portion of Burbank's Front Street protected bikeway is already open. Construction continues on the northwest half of the mile-long project.

City map of Front Street Protected Bikeway - via construction notice

The Front Street project is a welcome upgrade in an area that is relatively unfriendly for cycling.

Front Street's newly protected bikeway along the Burbank Metrolink Station

The newly protected lanes make an important connection to the Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station (which also serves a bus hub), though that station is in a fairly out-of-the-way area, separated from downtown by the recently widened 5 Freeway. Front Street and the station are further isolated by train tracks and the Burbank Wash.

The Front Street bikeway connects with existing Verdugo Avenue bike lanes, and with bike lanes Caltrans installed and improved on part of the widened Burbank Boulevard Bridge. The Front bikeway gets within a short cycling distance of the Burbank Wash bike path and the recently rebuilt bike/ped bridge over the tracks.

Between the station and Burbank Boulevard, the Front Street bikeway project is upgrading just over a half-mile of basic bike lanes. Both northbound and southbound bike lanes have been combined into a two-way bikeway on the south side of the street. This makes for easier station access, and importantly keeps the bike lanes away from freeway ramps on the north side of the street. South of the station, the project is adding a third of a mile of new bike lanes, smartly closing a gap.

Combining bike lanes on the south side of the street keeps cyclists away from 5 Freeway ramps

Mostly the bikeway is protected by soft-hit posts, but at the elbow where Front turns onto Verdugo Avenue, the protection is concrete jersey barriers.

Much of the Front Street bikeway is protected by soft-hit posts

Barrier-protected bikeway at curve where Front turns into Verdugo

The Front Street project includes green pavement at conflict areas (driveways). The project also added bright red BUS ONLY markings at the bus hub entrance to the Metrolink Station.

At the southeast end of the project, the Front bikeway is located on Verdugo Avenue

The bikeway is currently open between the Metrolink Station and the intersection of Verdugo Road and Ikea Way. It will be another month before the north end of the project (near Burbank Boulevard) is finished. That stretch includes significant grading changes.

Photo of Front Street yesterday, from near Burbank Boulevard looking southwest. This portion of the roadway is being regraded, dropping roughly three feet. To the left is the LaTerra Select development; visible on the right is the concrete channel of the Burbank Wash.

Though the southern portion is open, bikeway/street construction work continues on the north end of the project (between Magnolia and Burbank Boulevards)

Also currently under construction along Front is new mixed-use development. The LaTerra Select Burbank will be a seven-acre eight-story development with 573 residential rental units, a 307-room hotel, ground floor retail, and some sidewalk-level protected bikeways.