The Figueroa-Riverside Bridge was built in 1927 near the confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco. (Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times) (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A public battle has erupted over the fate of an aging bridge spanning the Los Angeles River, with less than a week remaining before the city is expected to start demolition.

Neighborhood activists and architects had envisioned turning the old Riverside Drive span into a "bridging green space" through which bicyclists and pedestrians could cross the river. Architect Kevin Mulcahy, whose firm RAC Design Build laid out a plan for converting the bridge, described the proposed project as "the missing link" that would tie together initiatives to revive the riverfront.

The idea comes amid a flurry of plans to revitalize portions of the Los Angeles River, centering on a proposed $1- billion remake of an 11-mile stretch of the waterway just north of downtown.

Demolishing the old concrete and metal truss bridge is part of a replacement plan the City Council approved eight years ago. Backers of the proposal to preserve the bridge point out that the original plan called for a new bridge to be built where the current one stands. Instead, the new bridge is being built upstream.

Neighborhood activists and architects had envisioned turning the old Riverside Drive span into a "bridging green space" through which bicyclists and pedestrians could cross the river. Architect Kevin Mulcahy, whose firm RAC Design Build laid out a plan for converting the bridge, described the proposed project as "the missing link" that would tie together initiatives to revive the riverfront.

The idea comes amid a flurry of plans to revitalize portions of the Los Angeles River, centering on a proposed $1- billion remake of an 11-mile stretch of the waterway just north of downtown.

Demolishing the old concrete and metal truss bridge is part of a replacement plan the City Council approved eight years ago. Backers of the proposal to preserve the bridge point out that the original plan called for a new bridge to be built where the current one stands. Instead, the new bridge is being built upstream....Continue Raeding

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