Krekorian Cuts Ribbon on Colfax Bridge

Crowding into the bed of a yellow pickup truck driven by Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, members of the Studio City Neighborhood Council were among the first to cross the finally completed Colfax Bridge Thursday morning, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

While the construction project that shut down the bridge for two years may have been frustrating at times, Krekorian and Neighborhood Council Vice President Lisa Sarkin acknowledged, both said they were just happy to see the bridge open again.

"I don't have to think about it anymore!" Sarkin said, sounding relieved.

"[The Neighborhood Council] got to choose almost everything that went into this bridge. ... Finally, since 1938, we have a permanent bridge here," Sarkin said.

The bridge was closed in 2009 due to safety concerns—the structure had the same design as the 1-35 Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed in 2007, killing 13 people.

Now, aides from Krekorian's office say the bridge's base has been widened to comply with Caltrans safety requirements.

Although the atmosphere of this morning's event was joyous, a strained dialogue has persisted between the city, the Neighborhood Council and residents angry over the delays in the bridge construction over the last two years.

Throughout the closure, store owners along Ventura Boulevard, who depend on residents of Valley Village and other neighborhoods north of the Los Angeles River for much of their business, complained to the city of 

 that the modern style of the bridge wouldn't fit with the style of Studio City. But both Krekorian and Sarkin said they were pleased with the final result.

"Needless to say there's been a lot of frustrations with this project since I've been in office," Krekorian said.

"It's a tremendous sense of satisfaction to finally be able to see the end result of it, to see how great it works, how terrific it's going to be to have traffic on Colfax again."

The onlookers at the ceremony, made up of L.A. city police and firefighters, and about 100 residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the bridge, let out a cheer as Krekorian cut the blue ribbon to signal the opening.

Gary Hendrickson, a North Hollywood resident, was one of the first people to arrive that morning before the ceremony. He said he wanted to be the first person to drive across the bridge in his 1915 Model T Ford.

Minutes after the ribbon was cut, Hendrickson started up his antique car and drove south across the bridge to Ventura Boulevard. Krekorian, the Neighborhood Council members and two firetrucks were next, driving northbound.

Despite the celebration, work will continue on the stairways and ramps for pedestrians and the disabled at both ends of the bridge. The bike paths that run under the bridge on both sides of the channel have also yet to be finished. According to Krekorian's office, this construction will be finished in October.