Mayor Eric Garcetti continues to unveil portions of his “Great Streets” project designed to refurbish a number of the city’s most congested thoroughfares. Central Avenue in South Los Angeles between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Vernon Avenue is scheduled for a makeover tentatively set to begin sometime between December 2015 and March 2016.
This stretch is part of Historic Central Avenue. If plans go smoothly, the urban renewal program will eventually extend from Adams Boulevard south to Slauson Avenue in an area which has not seen a major renovation since the Watts Riots engulfed practically all of the street in flames 50 years ago this August.
Priced at about $4.5 million for the one-mile stretch through the historic corridor, the plan calls for wider sidewalks, more bicycle lanes, better street lighting, trees, plants and what is termed “improved street furniture” (new store facades, chairs and tables, planters, waste receptacles etc.) Designers expect this stretch of Central Avenue to resemble a portion of Broadway seen today between 2nd and 5th streets in Downtown L.A.
City officials want to encourage more pedestrian travel along Central Avenue without the heavy load of southbound traffic which emanates primarily out of Downtown. Now the avenue will have only two lanes (one in each direction) for north-to-south traffic and far fewer left-turn lanes. This is designed to reduce rush-hour delays, increase pedestrian safety and mostly to encourage motorists to take mass transit, carpool more often, cycle or even walk to nearby establishments.
“We’re very excited about this project in an historic area that is most deserving of a makeover,” said Nat Gale, a representative of the Mayor’s office. He and several city officials were on hand recently at the South Central Constituency Center to introduce the plan to local residents, business owners and community stakeholders. “The mayor is very enthusiastic about the Great Streets program, because it will revitalize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for residents.”
The project is derived from the original Central Avenue Historic Corridor Streetscape Master Plan of 2009. Among the goals is to create a specific identity for Central Avenue intended to honor the street’s rich history and respect the changing cultures in the area. Officials want to create a “vibrant” street with thriving retail, dining and entertainment and pedestrian activity. All of the improvements are designed to increase the everyday (and evening) activity and have residents mingle and shop more together without traveling to outlying areas. The final plan of the 2009 study recommended landscaped traffic medians, crosswalk enhancements, sidewalk “bumpouts” (for al fresco dining), improved bus stop lighting, street banners, murals and “gateway monuments” proclaiming the avenue’s historic heritage all designed to create a safe and attractive environment.
Three conceptual alternatives for Central Avenue include a “light touch” entailing sidewalk extensions, crosswalk improvements and little “parklets” or temporary extensions of the sidewalk. “Angled Parking” would include turn lanes and landscaped medians; angled parking places will be on one side of the street and trees would replace some parking on the other side. Finally “Bike Lanes” would feature the same turn lanes and the landscaped median, with bicycle lanes situated between the traditional parking spaces and one lane of traffic each way.
Citizens will be able to offer their opinions about the various alternatives at upcoming community meetings.
Crenshaw Boulevard between 78th Street and Florence Avenue is another area scheduled to undergo refurbishment as part of Great Streets. The goal in the area is to make this area more accessible for travel by foot or bicycle. With the new Crenshaw Metro line under construction, officials believe the improvements scheduled for the Hyde Park community can be done in conjunction with remodeling of the Park Mesa Heights region and other sections of the Crenshaw Boulevard Corridor.
“Our streets are our largest public asset,” Garcetti said upon the debut of the “Great Streets” plan last summer. “They serve our city’s circulation system; we need them to also foster community by providing places to gather and enjoy.”
