Taylor Yard Bridge Los Angeles River, Rumblefish Bikeway & Pedestrian Crossing Photos
Taylor Yard Bridge Los Angeles River
New Californian River Crossing in LA design by SPF:architects (SPF:a), USA
April 12, 2022
Design: SPF:architects (SPF:a)
Location: Elysian Valley / Taylor Yard, Los Angeles, California, USA
Photos by Mike Kelley
Taylor Yard Bridge Los Angeles River Opens
The “Taylor Yard Bridge” peacefully connects two areas along the Los Angeles River that once experienced conflict
April 12, 2022, CULVER CITY, CA—Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA and his architectural firm SPF:architects (SPF:a) are pleased to announce the completion of the Taylor Yard Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, or “Taylor Yard Bridge”, a 400-foot bikeway and pedestrian bridge that spans across the Los Angeles River and connects Elysian Valley to Cypress Park via the Taylor Yard G-2 site, a 42-acre industrial parcel and former railyard at the center of the city’s river revitalization plans.
“The opening of the Taylor Yard Bridge is an important milestone in our work to give Angelenos more access to this iconic waterway, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, “as well as new places to safely walk, bike, and enjoy green spaces.” In addition to providing year-round public access to the river, the bridge advances Mayor Garcetti’s goal of ensuring at least 65% of Angelenos live within a half-mile of a park or open space by 2025.
The bridge’s playful nickname “Rumblefish” and its bold orange color come from the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film. The film explores the issues of brotherly love, honor and the ties that bind families and friends within the backdrop of gang life. This part of the Los Angeles River experienced similar struggles dating back to the 1950’s.
The Taylor Yard Bridge acknowledges this past by offering a mid-span meeting spot with two cantilevered view decks that are slightly offset as in a handshake or dance, allowing passersby views to the north and south highlighting the natural bend of the river’s flow at this location. The view decks are designed to accommodate small gatherings, community events and exhibits- a place for peaceful community collision and togetherness.
“The Taylor Yard Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge is an answer to a much-needed connection between the LA River communities of Cypress Park and Elysian Valley that creates the walkable, livable green open space our communities need,” said Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo. “Simply put, the Taylor Yard Bridge connects people to the beautiful Los Angeles River and the river to the community.”
The architecture of the bridge is uncomplicated, utilizing a perfectly level box truss from east to west. The form takes inspiration from the area’s industrial past, a modern interpretation of the railroad bridges that once crossed the river, and mid-20th century Los Angeles architecture.
The path is intentionally designed to appear to “float” within the box truss as it slopes to meet the different elevations of the banks on either side of the river. The path is metaphorically an extension of the city, with its roads, walkways, and bikeways gently suspended within the truss- the truss is there to simply hold this path in place.
The bridge employs the lightest and most efficient structural elements possible: tube steel, wide flange steel, and steel rods. HSS steel members form rectangular openings, and the bracing of the frame is achieved by the provision of tension rods spanning diagonally in vertical planes. This hybrid frame has rigid joints that are capable of transferring and resisting bending moments, and diagonals working in tension only.
The bridge also uses a redundancy system (fracture critical members) that enables the structure to carry loads in the event of a failure of one or more components. The use of this hybrid form allows the vertical planes in the bridge to remain almost unobstructed and provides for open viewing of the LA River along the bridge path. Structural elements were componentized so that larger portions of the bridge could be assembled in an adjacent yard and construction work within the riverbed could be minimized.
“We thank our design partners, Arup our structural engineer, Walter Hood our landscape architect, Tetra Tech our civil engineer and Ortiz Construction our builder in bringing their invaluable collective expertise to the success of the project. We are also grateful for the entire team at the Bureau of Engineering and specifically Deborah Weintraub, Deputy City Engineer and Nur Malhis, Project Manager. A special feeling it is to build a civically impactful project especially when the city is your birthplace and home,” said Pali.
Taylor Yard Bridge L.A. – Building Information
Location: Connects Elysian Valley and Taylor Yard
Type: Transportation/Infrastructure
Size: 400 feet Cost: About $21 million
SPF:a’s Project team: Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA; Judit M. Fekete-Pali Assoc. AIA, Siddhartha Majumdar, AIA
Photography: Mike Kelley
Taylor Yard Bridge over Los Angeles River images / information received 260418 from SPF:architects (SPF:a)
Previously on e-architect:
Apr 27, 2018
Taylor Yard Bikeway & Pedestrian Bridge
Design: SPF:architects (SPF:a)
Location: Elysian Valley / Taylor Yard, Los Angeles, California, USA
‘Rumblefish’ – Taylor Yard Bikeway & Pedestrian Bridge
Taylor Yard Bikeway & Pedestrian Bridge
SPF:architects release new renderings for Rumblefish, a 400-foot pedestrian bridge spanning across the LA River and connecting Elysian Valley (Frogtown) to Taylor Yard, a 42-acre industrial parcel and former railyard site at the center of the city’s river revitalization plans.
Location: Taylor Yard, Los Angeles, Southern California, United States of America
Los Angeles Buildings
Contemporary Los Angeles Architecture
L.A. Architecture Designs – chronological list
Los Angeles Architecture Tours – architectural walks by e-architect
Los Angeles Architecture Designs
Another LA architectural design by SPF:architects (SPF:a) on e-architect:
Wallis Annenberg center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills, California, USA
image : SPF:a
Wallis Annenberg center for the Performing Arts
Contemporary LA Architecture
SCI-Arc
image from SCI-Arc
SCI-Arc News in 2018
Little Ground Cafe, Glendale
Architecture: WORD (Warren Office for Research and Design)
photograph : Chris Warren
New Cafe in Glendale
The Archer School for Girls Camus Masterplan, 11725 W Sunset Blvd
Design: Parallax Architects
image © Parallax Architects/Shimahara Illustration
The Archer School for Girls
Beer Belly on Long Beach
Design: Make Architecture
photograph : Monika Siauw
Long Beach Bar
Comments / photos for the Taylor Yard Bridge over Los Angeles River Architecture design by Studio Pali Fekete page welcome