A longtime goal to create roughly 20 miles of an uninterrupted bike route connecting the western and eastern portions of the San Fernando Valley with Burbank is another step closer to reality thanks to additional funding for the project.

Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Panorama City, presented a $650,000 check Monday to city officials to help fund a 2.7-mile protected bikeway along Chandler Boulevard that will run through North Hollywood, Valley Village and Sherman Oaks.

The project, once complete, will connect two other existing bike paths running through the Valley that officials hope not only will promote healthy, open-air recreation but address climate change concerns by reducing the number of cars on the road.

“This bike path is going to be an example of what we need to do to make sure that we save our planet and make sure that we get people to understand that they don’t always have to be in a vehicle to get from one place to another. And that’s the best example that we can give to future generations in this car culture of Los Angeles,” Cárdenas said during a ceremonial check presentation at the North Hollywood Park and Recreation Center.

In attendance was Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who until recently served as council president and who represents North Hollywood. Krekorian also serves on the board of Metro, which is a major funder of the project.

The existing Chandler Boulevard bike path starts in Burbank and runs west, ending in North Hollywood. It’s within walking distance of Metro lines in North Hollywood, giving commuters more options to bike and take public transit to get around.

Meanwhile, the Metro G Bus Rapid Transit Line bike path, often referred to as the Orange Line path, starts in Chatsworth in western San Fernando Valley and runs east toward North Hollywood.

But a roughly 3-mile gap separates the two paths.

For years, bicycle enthusiasts and city officials have talked about wanting to fill in this gap to create one continuous protected bike path that would connect the western and eastern parts of the Valley. Officials have referred to this plan as the “cyclists’ highway.”

Two years ago, officials estimated it would cost $5.9 million to build this final 3-mile bike path. At the time, they expected the project would be paid for through $1.9 million in state funding, $800,000 in city funding and $3.2 million in funding from Metro.

It’s unclear whether the estimate has since changed, but Krekorian’s office said the $650,000 in additional federal funding that Cárdenas presented on Monday will help pay for the project.

The Chandler Boulevard bike path is popular with families.

In recent years, the L.A. City Council approved $1.2 million in projects to improve the bike path, including adding new exercise and recreation equipment, making the area more accessible to people in wheelchairs and adding one mural and restoring another. Other improvements included new fencing, trees, signage, lighting and drainage. In August, residents and officials in Burbank celebrated the 20th anniversary of the bike path.