Burbank authorizes $6.22 million downtown sidewalk grant

The Burbank City Council voted 5-0 on Oct. 27, 2026, to approve a funding agreement with Metro for $6.22 million in Measure M funds for the Downtown Burbank Sidewalk Enhancement Project. The grant is through Metro’s Active Transportation Program.

The vote authorizes the city manager or a designee to execute the agreement and related documents and accept the grant. That permits Burbank to put the funding agreement in place; it does not mean the money has already been paid or construction has started.

Three blocks plus station-area links i

The city describes the work as Phase 2 of the Downtown San Fernando Boulevard Reconfiguration Project. It would make temporary safety and traffic-calming improvements from Phase 1 permanent, then extend improvements beyond that original corridor.

Planned reconstruction covers three blocks of San Fernando Boulevard, from Olive Avenue to Magnolia Boulevard. Features include wider sidewalks, landscaped parkways and street trees, street furniture and outdoor-dining space, and greater separation between pedestrians and vehicles. The plan also lists curb extensions, ADA-compliant ramps, accessible pedestrian signals and high-visibility crosswalks. In other words, the package combines crossing and accessibility changes with landscaping and public-space features, not just wider sidewalks.

The street work is a three-block corridor, but the transit connection is broader: the city says the project is intended to link six of downtown’s busiest transit stops, including the future Olive/San Fernando bus rapid transit station. First- and last-mile improvements are also planned within about a half-mile of that future station.

Residents, workers, businesses and visitors are among the downtown users the city says the final design should serve. Community input will guide that design.

Design continues; 2028 is an estimate i

The city lists the project as in planning and design and estimates construction will begin in 2028. The vote advances the funding agreement while design continues; 2028 is an estimated start year, not a fixed construction date.

The $6.22 million is the Metro grant amount, not a stated total project budget. The city also identifies Caltrans funding for Phase 2 but does not give its amount or the project’s overall cost. The grant is one identified funding source, not the full price of the planned work.